Clicks Technology and Unihertz revive physical keyboard smartphones
Updated
Updated · CNBC · May 9
Clicks Technology and Unihertz revive physical keyboard smartphones
9 articles · Updated · CNBC · May 9
Unihertz's Titan 2 Kickstarter has drawn more than 8,200 backers and over $4.8m by 8 May, while Clicks says it beat its six-month pre-order target within 30 days.
The niche revival is being driven by BlackBerry nostalgia, younger users seeking more intentional phone use, and accessibility benefits for some people with low vision or motor-control difficulties.
New entrants including Zinwa Technologies and iKKO are joining the segment, though rising memory costs linked to AI infrastructure are pushing up component prices and forcing some devices to become more expensive.
As AI devours chip supplies, can the surprising comeback of keyboard phones survive the coming tech winter?
In an age of infinite scrolling, is a physical keyboard's 'inconvenience' the feature we secretly need?