CES 2024: This future iPhone accessory is a blast from the past
A nostalgic hit from Clicks
CES 2024 continues to impress us as we come across incredible tech and fascinating new products at every turn. One of my favorite finds of CES so far has to be the Clicks Creator Keyboard — an iPhone accessory that not only ticks my love of all things which-what-do-a-thing-while-also-doing-another but is a genuinely useful device to boot.
So, if the name and leading image of this article haven't already given it away, what is it? The Clicks Creator Keyboard is part smartphone case and part nostalgic flashback to an era when the biggest fruit in the phone market wasn't an Apple.
Evoking the iconic form of the Blackberry devices of yesteryear, the case also features a physical keyboard that apparently has more use cases than simply making me feel old.
We're on the scene in Las Vegas to check out the latest tech at this year's CES 2024 showcase. Be sure to tag along on our CES 2024 journey by following Laptop Mag on TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Flipboard, and Facebook for the most up to date hands-on impressions and news coming from the convention floor.
CES 2024: Clicks Creator Keyboard
Physical keyboards on mobile devices might seem pretty archaic, and they are, but they do solve the one problem faced when using a digital equivalent: that greedy, greedy, screen hogging it's so fond of.
Thankfully the Clicks Creator Keyboard can help with that, pushing the digital keyboard right off of the bottom of your iPhone's screen and into the physical world with 36 precision-tuned buttons at hand to take its place. The result of this is a display free to be used to its fullest, with the reclaimed ability to keep more of your content on screen at any one time.
Physical keyboards might not sound too compelling to modern mobile users, but when it comes to precision and accuracy there's no better option. Having the ability to physically feel the elevated keys under your fingertips as they dart around from letter to letter is excellent for training muscle memory, and there really is no haptic match for the physical feedback of a satisfying punch into a material key.
Stay in the know with Laptop Mag
Get our in-depth reviews, helpful tips, great deals, and the biggest news stories delivered to your inbox.
Outlook, price, and availability
The Clicks Creator Keyboard might turn your phone into a bit of a long boi, but it will also result in complete access to your iPhone 14 Pro/15 Pro/15 Pro Max's display without compromising any of its functionality.
The Clicks Creator Keyboard is available for $139 (Pro models) and $159 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max version in Bumblebee Yellow or... London Sky Grey? That's mildly insulting (yet sadly accurate). Preorders for the case/keyboard hybrid start now with shipping expected to begin from mid-March.
Rael Hornby, potentially influenced by far too many LucasArts titles at an early age, once thought he’d grow up to be a mighty pirate. However, after several interventions with close friends and family members, you’re now much more likely to see his name attached to the bylines of tech articles. While not maintaining a double life as an aspiring writer by day and indie game dev by night, you’ll find him sat in a corner somewhere muttering to himself about microtransactions or hunting down promising indie games on Twitter.