Clicks Keyboard Case: Surprisingly Good or a Tacky Gadget?

Earlier this year, Clicks announced its Clicks Keyboard case for the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. They wanted to bring back the feel of a physical keyboard to a modern smartphone. As someone who loved using the Blackberry Pearl and Bold and the T-Mobile Sidekick back in the day, I was immediately intrigued. But I also had a lot of questions, like: Will the whole thing be too big? Will it drain my iPhone’s battery? Is it a real everyday product or more of a nostalgic gadget? To my surprise, the Clicks case was truly amazing for a number of reasons. But it also has room for improvement. Here’s my review of the Clicks Keyboard case for iPhone.

If you want to see it for yourself and watch a video review, be sure to check out the YouTube video below!

I wanted to give the Clicks Keyboard a fair chance, so I used it on my iPhone 15 Pro Max for over two weeks. In some cases, I would remove the case for other use cases, but we’ll get to that in a moment. The review is divided into hardware, software (since there are some cool software shortcuts), and my overall impressions.

Hardware Clicks

The case itself is very well made. The team at Clicks had the difficult task of creating a relatively high-quality product while still being lightweight. They were fully aware that making the case from heavier materials would be a turn-off for some customers, as they had to take into account the weight of the iPhone and the case. They combined soft plastics and silicone to make the case both protective and malleable, so you can confidently take your iPhone on and off several times a day. Another thing to consider is that as the case is powered by the iPhone’s battery, there is no battery inside, which will significantly reduce the weight. So the first thing you’ll notice is how lightweight the case is, especially considering what you get.

I am once again using the largest case for my iPhone 15 Pro Max and I have included some of the specs below

• Weight 65 g (62 g for the 15 Pro model)
• USB-C for charging
• Supports fast charging with passthrough function
• QWERTY keyboard layout
• Four colors: London Sky, BumbleBee, Miami Beach, Royal Ink (I have the London Sky variety)

Keyboard

Clicks decided to mimic the layout of the iPhone’s virtual keyboard. I think this was a great idea because it makes it incredibly familiar to the iPhone users who will be using it. Everything is placed where you would expect it to be, from the Caps Lock key to the Enter key and the Backspace key. So it’s just a matter of getting your hands and fingers used to typing on a touch keyboard again. When I first started using it, I was instantly transported back to 2005 when I was typing on my BlackBerry. The keys are very similar. They are round and have enough bounce to make them feel satisfying to press, but enough resistance to avoid accidental presses.

When you first get your device, a QR code in the box tells you to go through the Getting Started Guide. The guide shows you how to put your iPhone in the case and then how to use the keyboard. What I like about this guide is that it shows you that the keyboard allows you to do shortcuts natively. You can go home by pressing CMD+H or bring up Spotlight search with CMD+Space. Below is a list of all the shortcuts that are provided, and even some of the apps that allow them. These shortcuts really made learning and navigating the case very efficient.

Click App

The proper application is very simple. It is there for several reasons:

• Keyboard Brightness Adjustment (yes, it’s backlit!)
• Battery Saving Mode
• Caps Lock, Alt Lock and Soft Return Settings
• Firmware updates

The biggest feature is the battery management. When Apple introduced the USB-C port to the iPhone, it opened up the iPhone to use with a variety of accessories. But one thing that happens is that when the device is connected to the USB-C port, it ALWAYS draws some power. So setting the battery to physically cut off the power to the case if it has been idle for a while. This will stop that phantom discharge while it is still in the device. The soft return feature is also essential, it lets you decide whether you want the ENTER key to skip down the spacebar or be the SEND button in a messaging app!

My experience – good

Overall, I’m a huge fan of this product. It took me about three or four days to get completely used to it. I still type faster on my iPhone keyboard, but something about physically pressing the keys is just so satisfying. So I used it for iMessage and the Notes app, and sending short and long emails. It was a pleasure to use every day. My absolute favorite shortcut is using the space bar to scroll through web pages. So you don’t even have to touch the iPhone screen.

One of the biggest advantages is that when you use the Clicks case, it completely opens up the iPhone display. If you really think about it, the virtual keyboard takes up almost half of the entire iPhone screen in any situation. So now when I’m sending messages, I can see more of the conversation at a glance, or I can edit a short YouTube video that takes up the entire screen. I think that’s where the real value comes in. You don’t realize how much screen is wasted on the virtual keyboard.

Lastly, this is a great conversation starter. Bring it up in public and someone will 100% ask you about it!

What needs improvement

It’s a first-generation product, so there’s always room for improvement. To make it meet all the requirements, there are two things that need to be updated. First, they should add MagSafe. I understand they’re trying to cut out anything that would add weight, but I think adding Magsafe magnets would be a nice touch. You can still wirelessly charge your iPhone with the case on, but it has to be flat. If you have a flat Magsafe puck, you’ll feel the magnets, but if you have a standing Magsafe charger, it won’t be strong enough to hold your iPhone and case together.

Secondly, the USB-C port. I talked to the Clicks team about this and for iPhones with USB-C (not Lightning versions), Clicks had to decide whether they wanted to allow charging or data transfer. They couldn’t have both. As someone who uses their iPhone for content creation, I’m constantly transferring footage from my iPhone to my Samsung T7. So I use that USB-C port every day. That means I have to remove the case every time I need to do that, since the case itself doesn’t support data transfer. Unfortunately, that also means that if you’re using wired CarPlay, you’ll have to remove the case for CarPlay to work.

One thing to note is that if you buy the versions for the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, the data will work with the case. Again, the limitation of the iPhone 15 line is the USB-C port. So the Lightning port in this case actually provides more usability when using a case.

Pricing, Availability and Final Thoughts

The Clicks case is currently on sale for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, and the entire iPhone 15 line. I’d like to have a smaller iPhone to compare the sizes and see how they perform, because I think the smaller iPhones will be better in terms of usability. The smaller versions are $139, and the larger ones are $159. They’re available directly on the Clicks website, but they recently partnered with Best Buy to make them available there (I’d order through Best Buy for faster shipping or in-store pickup!)

Overall, I like this product. I see it more as a tool that I keep with me than something that I have on my iPhone all day. The typing experience is amazing and the overall feel just takes you back to a simpler time. So I would say it was surprisingly great. What do you think about it? Is it something you would use or buy? What was your first smartphone before the iPhone? Let’s discuss below!