The first smartphones had physical keyboards, and after over a decade of continuous slab phones, some of us still long to have our buttons back. Fortunately, the time for physical keyboards has returned, and these four brands are making it happen.
Unihertz
The company with the most keyboard-based options
Of the best keyboard phones available today, Unihertz has been at it the longest. The company took its first crack at releasing a QWERTY smartphone in 2019 with the Unihertz Titan. I reviewed its successor, the Unihertz Titan 2, six years later. The sequel was far too big a device for me to recommend, but this year’s story is different.
The Unihertz Titan 2 Elite is a major glow-up for the company. This phone looks and feels every bit as premium as a phone from Samsung and Google. The size is immensely pocketable, and the OLED is a stunner. I’ve found the keyboard comfortable enough to write out most of my review of the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite directly on the device itself. The camera is the phone’s weakest link, but it is not an exception in that regard. Such is par for the course with specialty devices like this. The device is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter, and if you like phones with physical keyboards, I’m quite confident you’ll like this one.
5/10
Brand
Unihertz
SoC
MediaTek Dimensity 7300
The Unihertz Titan 2 is a successor to 2023’s BlackBerry-inspired Unihertz Titan. This new model comes with a newer version of Android, updated specs, a lighter build, and a refreshed design.
Clicks
Phone accessory maker makes its own phone
Clicks got its start as an accessory maker providing a keyboard case for the iPhone and, eventually, Android devices. With a Clicks case, an iPhone or Moto Razr can become the keyboard phone you’ve been waiting for. That’s the hope, at least.
Sadly, there are inherently trade-offs to sticking a phone in a case. Modern slab phones are already tall, and a Clicks case makes them even taller. You also need to buy a new case whenever you upgrade, which hurts when the case itself costs as much as a super cheap budget phone.
Enter the Clicks Communicator, an upcoming keyboard phone similar in style to the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite. The Communicator is slightly bigger, allowing for a larger keyboard with rounder keys. That said, the screen remains the same size and appears to be an identical panel.
The Clicks Communicator runs what looks like a version of my favorite launcher, and the project seems likely to offer more attention to the software experience than Unihertz’ relatively stock Android interface. That, of course, remains to be seen.
The Minimal Phone
A keyboard phone for E Ink lovers
I’m writing these words out long-form, by hand, on an E-Ink Android tablet. Years ago, I used to carry around a BOOX Tab Ultra C as my primary PC. I am drawn to E Ink, and that’s why the Minimal Phone would have once been my dream phone.
The Minimal Phone is a full-featured Android phone made distinct by the presence of a physical keyboard and the use of a 4.3-inch monochrome E Ink display. The latter is what makes it stand out among modern and classic keyboard phones alike.
The Minimal Phone’s display encourages you to do less with the device. While you technically are able to watch a video, it’s hardly pleasant when the image is a blur of smudgy black and white. The low refresh rate and lack of saturation have the same impact on gaming. Even text-based doom-scrolling loses much of its appeal.
When I reviewed the Minimal Phone, I found the most pleasant activity to be reading books. In that way, you can think of the Minimal Phone as a BOOX Palma with a keyboard.
7/10
Brand
Minimal Company
SoC
MediaTek Helio G99
The Minimal Phone is a smartphone running a full version of Android on an E-Paper display. The phone also packs a 35-button keyboard, expanding its appeal beyond those looking to reduce phone addiction and reclaim their focus. It also makes for a nice pocket eReader.
Sidephone
Not the keyboard you were expecting
In the heyday of keyboard phones, buttons came in a wide range of styles. On the more creative end, there was the SureType layout found on some BlackBerry phones, a QWERTY keyboard that assigned one number and two letters to each button. It’s that kind of keyboard that you can buy today for the Sidephone.
The Sidephone, in contrast to the other phones listed, isn’t inherently a keyboard phone. Rather, it’s a tiny modular phone whose bottom half can be swapped out to transform how the phone physically functions. The keyboard option turns the Sidephone into a device more pleasant to type on than it is out of the box.
The Sidephone does not run a full version of Android. Instead, you must content yourself with the included apps, those that the developer has curated for download, and find your own way to install apps. Fortunately, Android has no shortage of alternatives to the Play Store. That said, without Google Play Services running in the background, there are many apps that either won’t install or will run with some of their features missing.
Brand
Sidephone
Display
2.8 inches
The Sidephone is a miniature smartphone in the form of a modular feature phone. It can be paired with a number of interchangeable face plates and is intended for use with a selection of curated apps.
All of these phones have passionate communities around them. Personally, I find that to be part of their appeal. At a time when people have become increasingly jaded about yet another slab with a slightly better camera, physical keyboard phones offer an experience your fingers will remember long after your time with them comes to an end.
