Earlier this year, Clicks introduced the Clicks Keyboard Case for iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. The company wanted to bring back the tactile feel of a physical keyboard to modern smartphones. As a former Blackberry Pearl, Bold, and T-Mobile Sidekick user, I was immediately intrigued. But I also had a lot of questions: Is the whole package too big? Will it drain my iPhone’s battery? Is it really a product I can use every day, or is it just a nostalgic gimmick? To my surprise, the Clicks Case is actually great in many ways. But there is also room for improvement. Here is my review of the Clicks Keyboard Case for iPhone.
If you want to see it for yourself and check out our video review, be sure to check out the YouTube video below.
I wanted to give the Clicks Keyboard a fair test, so I used it on my iPhone 15 Pro Max for over two weeks. In some situations I’ll remove the case and use it for other purposes, but more on that later. I’ve split my review into the hardware, the software (because it offers some handy software shortcuts), and the overall experience.
Click Hardware
The case itself is very well made. The Clicks team took on the difficult challenge of making a relatively premium product yet lightweight. They were well aware that making this case out of a heavier material would be too much for some customers, as they would have to consider the combined weight of the iPhone and case. They combined soft plastic and silicone to create a case that was both protective and flexible, allowing you to take your iPhone out and put it back in without worrying about it being too heavy, even if you take it out and put it back in multiple times throughout the day. Another thing to consider is that since the case runs off the iPhone’s battery, there is no battery inside the case, which reduces the weight considerably. So the first thing you notice when buying this product in particular is how lightweight the case actually is.
Again, I’m using the largest case for an iPhone 15 Pro Max and here are some of the specs:
Weight 65g (15 Pro model is 62g) USB-C for charging Supports fast charging power pass-through QWERTY keyboard layout 4 colors: London Sky, Bumblebee, Miami Beach, Royal Ink (I have the London Sky variant) Keyboard
Clicks decided to mimic the layout of the iPhone’s virtual keyboard. We think this is a great idea, because it’s what iPhone users use, so it’s very familiar. Everything is placed as you would expect, from the Caps Lock button to the Enter key to the Backspace button. This means that it’s just a matter of training your hands and fingers to type on a tactile keyboard again. The first time I used it, I immediately felt like I was back in 2005 typing on my Blackberry. The keys are very similar; they’re rounded and satisfyingly soft when you press them down, with enough resistance to prevent accidental presses.
When you first get your device, a QR code on the packaging tells you to follow the getting started guide. The guide shows you how to put your iPhone in the case and how to use the keyboard. What I like about this guide is that it shows you can perform shortcuts natively on the keyboard, like hitting CMD+H to go back to the home screen or CMD+Space to launch Spotlight search. Below is a list of all the shortcuts provided and the apps that enable them. These shortcuts made learning and interacting with the case super efficient.
Clix App
The corresponding app is very simple, for a few reasons:
Keyboard brightness control (yes, it’s backlit!) Battery saving mode Caps Lock, Alt Lock and Soft Return settings Firmware updates
The biggest feature here is battery management. When Apple introduced the USB-C port on the iPhone, it allowed the iPhone to be used with many accessories. But whenever a device is plugged into a USB-C port, it still draws a little power. So the battery setting physically turns off power to the case after a period of idle, which stops that phantom power drain when it’s attached to the device. The soft return feature is also a must, which allows the Messages app to decide whether the ENTER key should be a space skip or a send button.
screenshot
My Experience – The Good
Overall, I’m a big fan of this product. It took me about 3-4 days of intensive use before I got the hang of the keyboard. Although typing on the iPhone keyboard is faster, physically pressing the keys is very satisfying. That’s why I use it for iMessage, the Notes app, and sending short and long emails. It’s a joy to use every day. My favorite shortcut is using the space bar to scroll through websites, so I don’t even have to touch the iPhone screen.
One of the biggest selling points is that with this Clicks case, your iPhone’s display opens up completely. If you think about it, the virtual keyboard takes up almost half of your iPhone’s screen in any given situation. So when you’re messaging, you can see the details of your conversation at a glance, or edit a YouTube Short with content that takes up the whole screen. This is where I think this case really shines – you don’t realize how much real estate of your display is wasted because of the virtual keyboard.
Lastly, this is a great conversation starter – if you bring this up in public, someone is sure to ask you about it!
Areas that need improvement
This is a first generation product, so there is always room for improvement. Two things need to be updated to meet all requirements. First, MagSafe needs to be added. I understand you were trying to eliminate anything that adds weight, but it would be better if you included Magsafe magnets. You can wirelessly charge your iPhone with the case on, but the case has to be flat. With a flat Magsafe pack, you can feel the magnets, but with a standing Magsafe charger, it’s not strong enough to hold the iPhone and case together.
Next, the USB-C port. I spoke with the Clicks team about this and they told me that for a USB-C iPhone (not the Lightning version), Clicks had to decide whether to allow charging or data; it couldn’t choose both. As someone who uses an iPhone for content creation, I frequently transfer footage from my iPhone to my Samsung T7, so I use the USB-C port on a daily basis. This means that I have to remove the case every time I need to do that, since there is no data pass-through on the case itself. Unfortunately, this also means that if you use wired CarPlay, you have to remove the case to get CarPlay to work.
It is worth noting that if you buy the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max versions, you can use the data even with the case on. Again, the limitations of the iPhone 15 series have to do with the USB-C port, which means that in this case the Lightning port is actually more usable even with the case on.
Price, Availability, and Final Thoughts
Clicks cases are currently available for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the entire iPhone 15 lineup. If you have a smaller iPhone, you might want to compare the sizes to get a feel for it, as you’ll probably find it more convenient to use. The small version is $139 and the large version is $159. You can buy them directly from Clicks’ website, but they recently partnered with Best Buy to make them available there as well (we recommend ordering from Best Buy for faster shipping and in-store pickup).
Overall, I’m enjoying this product. I see it as a tool to have with me at all times, rather than something to keep on my iPhone all day. The typing experience is great, and the overall feeling is like going back to a simpler time. So, I’d say this is an amazingly great product. What do you think about it? Do you think this is something you’d want to use or get? What was your first smartphone before the iPhone era? Let’s discuss below!
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