A Phone Case with a Physical Keyboard

I’ve been using a smartphone case that perfectly matches my taste since last year, and honestly, it’s easily one of the best things I bought in 2025. So this time, I want to introduce it to you.

This is an iPhone 16 equipped with the Clicks Keyboard, sold by a UK-based company called Clicks Tech. I used to be an Android user, but to be honest, I bought an iPhone just because I wanted this case.

I’ve never been a fan of typing on on-screen keyboards, and this completely changed the way I use my phone.

The keyboard uses a QWERTY layout, covering A–Z along with a few symbols. Each key is quite small, about 5mm in diameter, and you type using both thumbs.

At first glance, you might think the keys are too small to type comfortably. But thanks to the subtle tilt on the surface of each key, typing is actually easier than it looks.

The Clicks case also has a USB-C port, so you can charge your iPhone without removing the case.

This keyboard case has two main advantages.

1. It’s easy to type on.

This is partly my personal opinion, but I find it comfortable to type on and I make fewer typos compared to an on-screen keyboard. That said, some of my friends have told me, "It’s hard to type... just use the normal keyboard 😅"

Putting personal preference aside and sticking to the facts: the Clicks Keyboard has raised bumps on the F and J keys, just like a standard keyboard, which makes touch typing possible.

2. You can use keyboard shortcuts.

Since it has a Ctrl key, you can use familiar shortcuts like copy and paste. It also allows you to trigger shortcuts that you’ve set up on your iPhone, which is surprisingly useful.

That said, there are three downsides.

1. The connection sometimes drops.

When the Clicks is attached, the on-screen keyboard isn’t supposed to appear. However, there are times when it suddenly shows up anyway. When that happens, it means the USB-C connection has been interrupted, so you have to remove the case and attach it again. Because I’ve reattached it so many times, my Clicks now the silicone and plastic parts have started to separate.

2. Cursor movement is awkward.

You can enter cursor mode by pressing the symbol key and the Ctrl key at the same time, which turns WASD and IJKL into arrow keys. In practice, though, cursor mode doesn’t activate reliably, and it can be frustrating.

The iPhone keyboard doesn’t have proper cursor keys to begin with, so the fact that this doesn’t fully solve that problem is a real downside.

3. It’s big.

The phone becomes about 30% longer vertically. It no longer fits in my pants pocket, so I usually just throw it into my bag. Taking it in and out is a bit less convenient.

I ended up listing more downsides than advantages, but even so, I really like this product. As far as I know, it’s currently the only physical keyboard that’s fully integrated with a smartphone, and that alone makes it special.

Funny enough, younger people have asked me, "Is that a graphing calculator?" while older folks tend to say, "That reminds me of a BlackBerry." It’s the kind of phone case that’s simply fun to own.

If your phone is compatible with Clicks, and you prefer typing on a physical keyboard, then I’d definitely recommend giving Clicks a try.

While I was writing this blog, I heard that Clicks had released a new product. I bought it immediately without even checking the price. (After looking at the receipt, I realized it was pretty expensive for a regular, small-time citizen like me 🙄)
Yes, I’m a huge Clicks fan.