Andrew Melder

I’ve been trying to think of the best way to review this device ever since it hit my hands a little under a week ago. Among the multiple aspects of the Clicks keyboard that needs consideration, there is one word that seems to define most of the key points that would determine if someone should purchase this device: balance.

First, there is the literal balance of holding your phone while using the Clicks keyboard. The remainder is a balance of the pros and cons to such a product and whether it will fit your needs:

• What you think about the additional bulk and height of the phone in the Clicks case
• The investment in time needed to adjust to physical keys over a touch screen

A combination of these criteria and how you feel about them will ultimately determine the answer to the ultimate question: If the experience of typing on a physical keyboard is worth the change.

As a result, I don’t intend this review to have a buy/don’t buy outcome as the value of such a device will be highly personal. However, it will explore how I’ve encountered, experienced and decided on the 3 balance criteria for my own needs to determine if the Clicks keyboard has been a worthy investment for my Pixel 9 Pro.

Criteria #1: holding the phone while using the Clicks keyboard

One of the most noticeable things about the Clicks case is how tall it makes the phone. The practicalities of this for daily carry I’ll get to in criteria #2, however the biggest area I found this impacts use has been in simply holding the phone while using the physical keyboard of the Clicks.

While the Clicks team have added weights to the keyboard area of the case to help, the balance of the overall package is still very top heavy. This presents some challenges when trying to get a good grip on the phone to ensure it doesn’t topple out of your hands while typing on the keyboard.

If I’m honest, the first 3 days were spend mainly focusing and working on different hand positions while typing; and it did impact my ability to actually focus on the typing experience itself when my focus was elsewhere. I personally think there could be heavier weights added to the bottom to help with balance; but I’m sure the team have gone through different iterations before getting to the final specs. I’m also sure they didn’t want to add too much weight to a case that already makes your phone much larger.

While I’m getting used to it, the balance of the phone while typing remains an issue and a barrier at times to truly getting into the typing experience. Sometimes I don’t notice it and I can type freely; other times it still feels like I’m struggling with the balance in my hand and the typing just doesn’t flow.

It all makes me think that I would LOVE to get my hands on the Razr + Clicks combo, as that combo (when closed and just using the cover screen) seems like almost the perfect form factor without the issues of balancing a top heavy phone in your hands as you type.

However, the more I get used to the Clicks on the Pixel and its form factor, the more I think I’m ok using it as is. Switching phones and dealing with the other issues of foldable phones may not be worth the extra cost involved.

Criteria #2: additional bulk and height for daily usage

You can’t get around the fact that the Clicks makes the Pixel 9 Pro resemble a giant TV remote. Trying to argue otherwise is just foolish. For many, that’s a deal breaker right there. No doubt phones are big enough as it is and making them bigger is just not appealing for many.

While not a deal breaker given I wanted a hardware keyboard, I was very apprehensive about the size given I’ve already made an unwanted leap in size coming from the iPhone Mini to the Pixel 9 Pro late last year.

I’m fortunate that I haven’t noticed any significant issues in my daily use. Now, it must be pointed out that I’m a 5'9" male, carrying too many pounds of weight so I like looser fitting pants. As a result, the pockets I keep my phone in have enough room to cater for the additional height of the Clicks case.

If your clothes even occasionally contain the word “skinny” though, you might have a different experience here.

Weight has also been a surprise in that the Clicks case hasn’t made the phone massively heavy, probably helped by the weight being distributed across a longer surface.

Criteria #3: getting used to a physical keyboard (again)

And after all that, you get to working through the reason you buy the Clicks in the first place: using its hardware keyboard.

This is where I (and others in the same boat) will likely have an advantage over others in that I’ve used a hardware keyboard phone in the past; specifically the Blackberry phones.

I mention this as I think it will take a good few weeks for someone new to hardware phone keyboards to get used to it. Even for an old Blackberry head like myself, the first few days felt extremely foreign. More than once I found myself tapping lightly on the key I wanted to press, my mind used to a touchscreen keyboard and not remembering to actually press down and activate the key.

The first 2-3 days had me questioning if my memories of the Blackberry keyboards were nostalgia filled, as I struggled to hit the right key and find a flow.

By the 4th day, things started to fall into place from a comfort and flow standpoint. While still a slow process and still not as efficient as the software keyboards, the moments you feel a comfort with the physical keys when typing is when things start to… click (🙄).

This might be were I differ from others on the subject in that I don’t think a hardware keyboard will result in more efficient, accurate or faster typing. I’ve often argued that modern software keyboards are fantastic for speed and accuracy.

The reason I look for a physical keyboard is for the typing feel that haptics just can’t replicate. While I don’t believe it would represent a raw productivity improvement for many (even us recovering Blackberry addicts), with a good hardware keyboard I feel like typing more than any software keyboard; where I don’t want to type more than a few sentences.

So does the Clicks keyboard achieve that? Well, I started writing thoughts of this device on Obsidian on my phone and have ended up writing 99% of this review on the Clicks keyboard.

Part of that is a novelty of saying that for sure, but most of it is because I am enjoying typing on this keyboard. Having a few minutes wherever I am to write a paragraph or two, or do some re-writes is a nice experience on here; something I wouldn’t personally do with an software keyboard.

There’s still a little bit to go. I’ve got to get more comfortable with the layout and still occasionally work on the grip and balance of using the keyboard on such a tall device, but I’m further along the journey on coming back to a physical keyboard than I thought I would be after a week’s use.

Ultimately, is it worth the change?

I had two questions personally when I first started using the Clicks for the Pixel 9 Pro:

1. Would it all be nostalgia and I end up more frustrated by a physical keyboard in the modern world?

The answer has been a pleasant one. I’ve picked up using the Clicks faster than I hoped. Typing flow has been easier to achieve (once I worked out most of the balance and grip issues) than I expected, and I’m starting to remember how it felt typing on my Blackberry’s all those years ago.

2. If I do enjoy using it, would it just lead to purchasing a Razr device and Clicks to get a more comfortable form factor?

There’s no doubt that I continue to find typing on the Clicks for the Pixel somewhat compromised due to the balance issues outlined earlier. Having to occasionally readjust your grip as you slowly feel the phone dip backwards as you type doesn’t make the case for the Pixel as the ideal experience.

There’s no doubt I’m going to be keeping my eye out for a cheap Razr if i can get one. However, for my needs I’m also happy to move forward with the Clicks and Pixel combo to enjoy the physical typing experience more than a software keyboard. I’ve personally been interested and exploring mobile computing options for decades now. A missing gap recently has been a lack of an enjoyable typing input on modern touchscreen only devices. I’ve tried many different options to address this gap over the past few years; from classic PDAs to old digital typewriters for student learning and various portable keyboards.

From a pure comfort standpoint, my favourite remains the iPad Mini 4 with the Brydge keyboard. Portable and focused with only writing tools on it, it remains undefeated for a small writing device to fit in my daily sling bag.

But the Clicks and the Pixel are always in my pocket. For my needs, it fills a requirement in the digital toolbox as I work more remotely and from the mobile more often. For this, the Clicks will remain on my Pixel for the foreseeable future. Boy I hope I can get my hands on a Razr combo though.