For nearly two decades, the smartphone industry has moved toward a singular, smooth aesthetic: the “glass slab.” Since the debut of the iPhone in 2007, the tactile click of a physical keyboard was relegated to the archives of corporate history, viewed as a relic of a pre-touchscreen era. BlackBerry, once the undisputed king of the enterprise mobile world, saw its empire crumble, eventually ceasing hardware production in 2016 and shutting down its legacy software services in 2022.
But the pendulum is swinging back. A growing contingent of users—ranging from nostalgic Gen Xers to Gen Z digital minimalists—is rejecting the frictionless nature of the touchscreen. This shift is fueling a new wave of hardware startups, including the U.K.-based Clicks Technology and China’s Unihertz, which are carving out a profitable niche by bringing back the physical button.
This isn’t merely a retro fashion statement. For many, the return to tactile keys is a strategic move to reclaim their attention from an ecosystem designed to keep them scrolling. As smartphones become more embedded in every waking second of daily life, the “friction” of a physical keyboard is being rebranded as a feature, not a bug.
The Psychology of Digital Friction
For most users, the modern smartphone is designed for maximum efficiency, which often translates to mindless consumption. Chonnie Alfonso, a 23-year-old content creator who documents retro gadgets on YouTube, argues that the ease of a touchscreen is exactly the problem. By switching to a keyboard-equipped device, she found that the added steps required to interact with the phone forced her to be more mindful.
“Having an extra barrier of inconvenience that adds more steps into the thinking process,” Alfonso told CNBC, serves as a psychological speed bump. This “friction” makes “doomscrolling”—the act of endlessly scrolling through negative news or social media feeds—less appealing. When a device is shaped like a BlackBerry rather than a sleek tablet, the user experience shifts from passive consumption to intentional communication.
Jeff Gadway, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Clicks Technology, notes that this appeal extends far beyond those who remember the original BlackBerry era. According to Gadway, approximately 45% of their customer base has never owned a phone with a physical keyboard. For these users, the device is not a nostalgia trip but a tool for “intentional” use, designed to keep them focused on a specific task—like sending a message—without drifting into a “side quest” of unrelated apps.
Jung Younbo, a communications professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, views this as part of a broader cyclical trend. He suggests that as technology becomes ubiquitous, users begin to use their devices as a means of self-expression, mirroring the way fashion trends repeat every few decades.
Utility, Accessibility, and the Return of the Jack
Beyond the psychological draw, these startups are reviving hardware specifications that mainstream manufacturers have systematically removed. The most prominent of these is the 3.5mm headphone jack. While Apple and Samsung pushed the industry toward wireless earbuds, audio enthusiasts like 23-year-old Wei Lun Ng argue that wired connections remain superior for reliability and cost. Wired EarPods, for instance, retail for around $19, while entry-level AirPods start at $129.
The revival is also providing critical utility for users with accessibility needs. Gadway reports that individuals with low vision or motor control challenges often find physical keys easier to navigate than a flat glass surface, allowing them to regain confidence in their daily communication.
This preference for precision is echoed by Professor Younbo, who notes that while auto-correct is ubiquitous, it often introduces errors by changing words to unintended alternatives. A physical keyboard allows for a level of tactile confirmation that touchscreens cannot replicate.
| Feature | Mainstream “Glass Slab” | Keyboard Revival Phones |
|---|---|---|
| Input Method | Haptic/Virtual Keyboard | Tactile Physical Keys |
| Audio Connectivity | Primarily Bluetooth/USB-C | Integrated 3.5mm Jack |
| Storage | Fixed Internal Memory | Expandable via SD Card |
| User Intent | High-Efficiency/Consumption | Intentional/Communication-First |
A Crowded Niche Facing AI Pressures
The market for tactile phones is becoming increasingly competitive. Along with Clicks and Unihertz, companies like Zinwa Technologies and iKKO are entering the space. The demand is evident in the numbers: Unihertz’s Kickstarter campaign for the second iteration of its Titan phone attracted over 8,200 backers and raised more than $4.8 million by mid-May. Clicks Technology similarly reported exceeding its six-month pre-order target within just 30 days.
However, these startups are operating in a volatile supply chain. The global explosion in artificial intelligence infrastructure has created a massive surge in demand for high-performance memory chips. This “AI tax” has strained the supply of components, driving up costs for smaller hardware manufacturers.
The impact has already been felt; Unihertz recently raised the price of its Titan 2 to offset these memory costs. Clicks Technology has stated it intends to absorb these pressures to keep pricing steady for its customers, but the trend highlights the difficulty of building niche hardware in an era dominated by AI-driven silicon demands.
While keyboard smartphones are unlikely to displace the giants of the industry, their resurgence suggests a growing appetite for choice over consolidation. In a world of uniform screens, a segment of the population is simply looking for something they can feel.
Industry observers are now watching to see if these startups can maintain their margins as component costs fluctuate and whether the “digital detox” movement will drive enough mainstream adoption to move these devices from the fringes to the center of the boutique phone market.
Do you prefer the speed of a touchscreen or the feel of a physical keyboard? Share your thoughts in the comments or let us know if you’ve made the switch to a minimalist device.
