YouTuber announces launch of phone that screams Blackberry hunk of junk
YouTuber Mr Mobile announced the Clicks Communicator at CES 2026, an outdated phone with a physical keyboard and 4” screen, marketed as a distraction-free work device for messaging and email, requiring a connection to your primary phone. Picture: Clicks Technology
Image: Clicks Technology
Although Blackberry stopped making phones in 2022, it seems the formerly popular smart device has risen from the rubbish dump in the form of the new Clicks Communicator.
This phone was announced at CES 2026 (the world’s leading technology trade show) by YouTuber Mr Mobile, priced at $499 (R8,231) in the USA.
It features a square display with a physical keyboard below the screen, almost identical to the ill-fated Blackberry phones.
The 4” screen is roughly the size of the iPhone 5 way back in 2012.
The Clicks Communicator: A Distraction-Free Work Phone
The device is being marketed not as a replacement for any current phone you may have, but more as a supplementary product. It’s probably a smart move as there’s no way this phone could compete with the likes of Samsung, Huawei, and Apple.
The Clicks Communicator has the slogan “doing, not doomscrolling,” as it markets itself as a more work-orientated device with fewer distractions. That is true, because this phone does not seem to have the ability to perform any intensive tasks like a modern high-power iPhone would be able to with ease.
Communicator’s chief marketing officer said: "It's a complementary product that stands on its own, optimised for a specific purpose.”
It’s primarily focussed on receiving text through messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram and also can help a user manage their email. However, for this to work, it still needs to be linked with your primary phone.
It also has a headphone jack, which most modern phones have already done away with as wireless headphones are now pretty much standard.
So if you’d like a phone that will make you feel like you’ve gone back in time to 2016, and have a set of wired headphones gathering dust, this is the second phone for you.
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