The Clicks Keyboard case for the iPhone (begins at $139)—which places a BlackBerry-style keyboard beneath your smartphone display—may look like a novelty at first, however its clicky backlit keys and vivid shade choices assist justify its value. That mentioned, its keys are tiny, and the case provides a lot size and weight to your telephone that you just may not be capable of comfortably function or pocket it. The Clicks Keyboard finally is not definitely worth the problem when you’re totally accustomed to a telephone’s digital keyboard, however you may be capable of overlook its flaws when you sorely miss a tactile, BlackBerry-like typing expertise.Design: A Premium Case With a Full KeyboardThe Clicks Keyboard case is at present out there for all iPhone 15 fashions ($139 for the bottom or Professional, $159 for the Plus or Professional Max), in addition to for the iPhone 14 Professional ($139) and Professional Max ($159). For the iPhone 15 Professional and Professional Max, you get 4 shade choices: BumbleBee (yellow), London Sky (grey), Miami Seashore (pink with sky-blue keys), and Royal Ink (darkish blue). For different iPhone fashions, you get simply two choices from that record, the primary two for the 15 and latter two for the 14. I examined a London Sky case with my iPhone 14 Professional.
The Clicks Keyboard case for the iPhone 14 Professional measures 7.41 by 2.95 by 0.42 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.19 ounces. This provides 1.6 inches in size to the telephone and will increase its weight to 9.46 ounces. (For reference, the iPhone 14 Professional by itself is available in at 5.81 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches and seven.27 ounces.)
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
The mushy, silicone higher enclosure tightly hugs the telephone. It has a cutout for the silent-mode toggle on the left aspect and raised covers for the quantity up and down buttons. The latter covers are flush with the buttons, and urgent them brings an instantaneous response. A Clicks emblem is seen within the higher proper nook of the case, simply above the duvet for the ability button.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
The underside of the case consists of a polycarbonate and silicone backlit QWERTY keyboard. The keys have a diameter of 5.6mm with 0.2mm of journey. All of the letter keys have a secondary operate that is accessible through the 123 key: numbers for the highest row, and customary symbols and punctuation for the underside two rows. The left aspect of the keyboard has a Shift key, the 123 button, the change keyboard key (toggles amongst English, Spanish, and emoji keyboards), and the command button. The Backspace, Enter, microphone, symbols (which confusingly toggles the digital keyboard), and Tab keys are to the appropriate of the centered area bar.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
The keyboard would not require charging, but it surely does should be plugged into the Lightning port that sits straight above the keyboard. (The iPhone 15 circumstances have a USB-C connector as an alternative.) Becoming your telephone is a simple course of: I simply needed to slide the underside of my telephone onto the Lightning connector after which push the highest of my system gently into the case till the whole lot was safe. You do not have to fret about dropping your charging port, because the case supplies a pass-through Lightning or USB-C port on the backside. The Clicks case is just not a MagSafe-certified accent, although it allowed for full charging speeds with Apple’s authentic MagSafe charger. MagSafe help is not assured, nevertheless, so your expertise may differ.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
The again of the case has a tough, clean polycarbonate end with a cutout for the digicam module. A vegan leather-based panel straight reverse the keyboard supplies a pleasant grip. The again does a superb job of stopping filth and fingerprints from exhibiting on the telephone, whereas the thick, raised border across the digicam cutout gives good drop safety. Efficiency: Tough to BalanceThe keyboard is easy to make use of for the fundamentals and contains superior options for energy customers. It helps iOS international shortcuts, for example, in addition to a handful for each native iPhone app. You’ll be able to hit Command+N in Messages and Mail to compose a brand new message, whereas the identical shortcut brings up a brand new tab in Safari or Chrome, a brand new playlist in Music, or a brand new voice recording in Voice Notes. Command+H takes you to your house display, Command and area bar launches a search, and tapping the area bar in Safari scrolls down the web page. In all, Clicks lists over 30 keyboard shortcuts that you should use to navigate round your telephone. The shortcuts I attempted all labored as anticipated.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
One of many main advantages of including an exterior keyboard to the iPhone is that it frees up the a part of the display that the digital keyboard often occupies. This was one in all my favourite facets of the Clicks Keyboard; I loved the additional display actual property for scrolling by way of search outcomes and studying e-mail. Clicks claims that it takes 20 minutes to get used to the buttons; two hours to really feel comfy with the format and controls; two days to grasp typing and to start out utilizing shortcuts; and two weeks to achieve full mastery. I used the system for over two weeks for this evaluation, and I can comfortably say I doubt I will ever come near mastering it.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
I by no means owned a BlackBerry and have solely ever used a digital keyboard for typing on a telephone, however that does not totally excuse my lack of adroitness. Certainly one of my main complaints in regards to the Clicks is that the buttons proved troublesome to hit precisely, even with my small arms. I always hit the unsuitable button, after which one other unsuitable button when I attempt to press Backspace to right the primary error. The buttons really feel high-quality and have glorious journey, however their tiny dimension and spherical form make them too simple to overlook.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
I additionally discovered it inconceivable to kind even a fast message with one hand, since the entire numbers and punctuation marks require an extra press of the 123 key. Typing out a telephone quantity is tedious since it’s a must to press the 123 key earlier than every digit. One-handed typing can also be significantly troublesome at midnight because the backlight would not keep on reliably. That makes it irritating to seek out the buttons (123 and change-keyboard) it’s essential to concurrently press to show the backlighting again on. I ended up reverting to the digital keyboard many occasions.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)
The size and weight that the case provides are additionally problematic. My iPhone not match into my pocket with the case on, and it was troublesome to slip into the aspect pocket of my purse. I even seen the additional weight once I positioned my telephone in the principle pocket of my bag.The load and bulk additionally made my telephone uncomfortable to make use of. Clicks advises that you just maintain your telephone by inserting its backside edge in your pinky fingers and supporting the again along with your ring and center finger. I discovered this uncomfortable for typing, so I reverted to gripping the telephone with each arms on the backside of the keyboard. The corporate warns that this is not one of the simplest ways to carry the system, and it is right—it makes the telephone really feel top-heavy. You might need a greater time holding the telephone in Clicks’ advised place in case you have bigger arms.Verdict: Trendy However UnwieldyThe Clicks Keyboard for iPhone could also be a dream come true for BlackBerry followers or Sidekick lovers who miss that old-time tactile typing expertise: It features a full set of backlit keys, helps varied iOS shortcuts, and is available in a number of enjoyable shade choices. However it’s essential to weigh these benefits towards the numerous heft it provides to your system and the sometimes-inconvenient operation. Most iPhone customers ought to keep on with their digital keyboards, although the Clicks Keyboard is perhaps value a glance when you’re satisfied it would enhance your productiveness or make typing extra pleasurable.
The Backside Line
The colourful Clicks Keyboard case supplies iPhone customers with a tactile typing expertise, however not with out some usability drawbacks.
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