Clicks Power Keyboard
3.0
Pros & Cons
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Strong magnets to attach slab phones -
High quality sliding mechanism -
Clicks software supports advanced settings -
Good shortcut support
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Slow 5W wireless charging functionality -
Keys are a bit tight for larger thumbs -
Heavy -
Bluetooth pairing can be tricky
I first tried the Clicks Keyboard at CES 2024, and have since purchased a few for different iPhone models and one Motorola Razr. The attachable case accessory provides touchscreen phone users with a full physical keyboard — tactile feedback included — without consuming any of the device’s screen real estate. One of my issues with the keyboard — as a mobile tech reviewer who upgrades phones regularly — is that I had to buy a new Clicks Keyboard every year to match my phone. Thus, I was pretty excited to see the early prototypes of the Clicks Power Keyboard at CES this year.
Also: This viral iPhone keyboard case is the most ingenious accessory I’ve tested
At the show, I placed my order for the Clicks Power Keyboard (and the forthcoming Clicks Communicator phone), and I’ve been using the Power Keyboard to see how it could fit into my life. I don’t find it as seamless for phone use as I did the keyboard case models, but there are a couple of use cases where it works well, so let’s dive in.
Manufacturer or Full Name/ZDNET
Clicks Power Keyboard
3.0
The Power Keyboard is a small, universal keyboard for quick and easy text entry.
Rarely attached to the phone
One of the primary reasons I bought the Clicks Power Keyboard was to use it with all of my future phones without having to purchase new keyboard cases every year. So far, I’m not really using it like the keyboard cases, because it’s another thing to carry around and isn’t always attached to my phone. It’s honestly a bit heavy and bulky to use with a phone, and I’m hoping the next generation is modified to function better with phones.
Much of the weight is to support the 2,300 mAh battery with wireless charging support. However, at just a 5W level, the battery charges very slowly, and it’s honestly not worth the weight of carrying around a glacially slow-charging battery pack. Clicks should consider providing only the power needed to keep the keyboard running for a few days and forgo the wireless charging functionality.
Also: This tiny keyboard accessory was the Motorola Razr upgrade I didn’t know I needed
If you experience issues pairing the Power Keyboard with multiple devices, press and hold a number (1-9), then press and hold the power button. Up to nine devices can be paired with the keyboard, but you need to manually select a new slot when pairing more than one device.
XR glasses are the perfect use case
As a foldable phone user and heavy XR glasses user, this is where I find myself using the Clicks Power Keyboard while commuting and traveling. I like to prop up my foldable phone and then use the Power Keyboard to enter text, especially when I have XR glasses connected to my phone and don’t want to look around the glasses to enter text. The keyboard is even more useful if you are using XR companion devices like the Xreal Beam Pro Android device, which requires its own account logins to access your streaming services.
I have also found it handy to connect the Power Keyboard to my TV so that I can quickly enter text on the TV for passwords and searching. Not having to hunt around the on-screen keyboard with my remote may alone be worth the $99 price of the Clicks Power Keyboard.
Also: This physical Clicks keyboard is the Pixel 9 upgrade I didn’t know I needed
Connect to your tablet or folding phone
If you use a tablet regularly and want to type, the Clicks Power Keyboard is an efficient way to do so. Though as I get older, my thumbs are less agile, and I am starting to feel cramped by the keyboard’s size. Also, testing out the new Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro Fold has me convinced that Google’s voice-to-text tool, Rambler, is my new favorite way to enter text without tapping a display or an external keyboard. You can’t always use text-to-speech, though, so that is where the Power Keyboard helps out.
ZDNET’s buying advice
I’m not using the Clicks Power Keyboard the way I thought I would when I saw it at CES, but it turns out that it does help my productivity when I’m using XR glasses on the plane or train with my foldable phone. Clicks has improved its keyboard cases with each upgrade, so I look forward to seeing a future Power Keyboard that does not offer slow wireless charging and is sleeker, possibly a bit wider, for more big-finger typing.
