Test du clavier Clicks : un vrai plaisir à utiliser (enfin)

Every time I’ve showed friends and family the Clicks Keyboard for iPhone, a bright yellow case with a Blackberry-style physical keyboard, I’ve received similar reactions: “A keyboard case for the iPhone? In 2024? Are you crazy? Also, that thing’s huge.” It’s an arguably justified reaction. It lengthens my hefty iPhone by about 1.5-inches, making it protrude slightly from my big cargo pant pockets.

So, what’s all the fuss about with Clicks? I put it to the test for two weeks, adding it to my iPhone 15 Pro Max and using it daily to take calls, text friends and more. Here are my thoughts on the design and performance of this controversial iPhone accessory.

Idéal pour :

• Creative folks who seek additional screen real estate for social media content
• People who value productivity and efficiency in their workflow
• Fans of Blackberry keyboards

Ignorer si :

• You don’t want to add extra bulk to your iPhone
• You prefer typing on glass
• You’re an Android or an iPhone 13 and below user

Clicks Keyboard: Design

What Is Clicks, Anyway?

Clicks is available for the iPhone 14 Pro models and the entire iPhone 15 lineup, costs $139 or $159 (depending on the size of your iPhone) and comes in BumbleBee, London Sky, Miami Beach and Royal Ink. You bend the top of the case back a little, and slide your iPhone onto the exposed Lightning (iPhone 14 Pro) or USB-C (iPhone 15) plug, then snap your iPhone into the top of the case.

As such, Clicks is relatively easy to install and remove. It’s made of silicone (sides), color-matching plastic (back), and black vegan leather (backside of the keyboard). The 36 keys are round and flat and feature an adjustable white backlight. What’s really cool is that the Shift and Alt (123) keys light up blue when pressed to remind you that the next key you press will be a capital letter, number or symbol.

You’ll find a Lightning (iPhone 14 Pro) or USB-C (iPhone 15 Pro) port along the bottom edge of the case that lets you charge your iPhone. Note, however, that data passthrough is only supported for Lightning iPhones, not USB-C iPhones. Clicks also includes a protective lip around the iPhone cameras, and two small cutouts above the keyboard that allow sound to travel to and from the iPhone microphone and speaker.

As you’d expect, Clicks boasts the same keyboard layout as the iPhone’s virtual keyboard. It’s available in QWERTY, AZERTY (French) and QWERTZ (German) layouts. I like the way Clicks looks, especially the fun colorways. It’s a well made, visually attractive iPhone accessory that matches Apple’s design language.

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Clicks Keyboard: Performance

But Why Clicks?

That’s all well and good, but why would you vouloir a tiny physical keyboard for your phone in 2024—especially on an iPhone? After all, when he introduced the iPhone back in 2007, Steve Jobs famously said, “[the virtual keyboard is] faster than all these little plastic keyboards on all these smartphones.” And he was right. We got used to typing on glass, and we haven’t looked back.

But there’s more to Clicks than just typing on a physical keyboard. It frees up screen real estate taken up by the iPhone’s virtual keyboard—about half the screen—for actual content. Say, for example, that you’re creating a story on Instagram. Clicks lets you type a caption without half your screen being covered with the iPhone’s virtual keyboard.

If productivity matters to you, Clicks supports familiar Mac and iPad keyboard shortcuts like copy (Cmd + C), paste (Cmd + V), home (Cmd + H), search (Cmd + Space), notifications (Globe + N), control center (Globe + C) and many more. With Clicks Mode, you can also assign Apple Shortcuts to any key. For example, you can set up Tab + U to automatically request an Uber from your current location to your home.

Basically, with more screen real estate and access to keyboard shortcuts, Clicks enables tasks you would not normally consider doing on your iPhone—tasks that would usually require your tablet or laptop. How about writing an article on your iPhone, like I did for parts of this review? Clicks gives you more flexibility for how to use your iPhone. Plus you can easily remove it, like on vacation, when productivity isn’t paramount.

Clicks also fills a nostalgic void for many of us. If you were a die-hard Blackberry fan back in the day, you know what I mean. With Clicks, it’s the best of both worlds. You enjoy all the benefits of the iPhone together with the nostalgic Blackberry feel.

Clicks Keyboard: Performance

Tactile Feedback And Customizability Makes This A Win

Clicks feels absolutely fantastic to type on. Each key covers a nickel-plated dome that provides just the right amount of travel and actuation pressure, making this tiny physical keyboard a delight to use. That’s really no surprise; the team behind Clicks includes Kevin Michaluk (Crackberry) and Michael Fisher (MrMobile), who are both seasoned Blackberry keyboard aficionados.

While it might just be the best Blackberry-like physical keyboard I’ve ever used in the twenty years I’ve been reviewing smartphones, having access to Mac and iPad keyboard shortcuts (Cmd + C for copy, etc.) is a game changer in terms of productivity, too. The same goes for Clicks Mode, which lets you trigger Apple Shortcuts using key combination (Tab + U to launch Uber, etc).

You can also download the accompanying Clicks app from Apple’s App Store. It allows you to set the backlight brightness and timeout, change the behavior of the Caps lock, Alt lock (123 key) and Return keys, enable battery saving and update the firmware. It’s basic, but it gets the job done.

There Are Major Downsides, Though

But Clicks isn’t perfect. It’s a first-generation product, and it comes with some compromises inherent to its form factor. As I mentioned before, using my iPhone 15 Pro Max with Clicks makes for a bulky combination. The case is about 1.5-inches longer than the iPhone alone—for a total length of eight inches—and it adds 65 grams of weight to the iPhone’s already hefty 221 grams, making it about 30% heavier.

And indeed, my iPhone 15 Pro Max with Clicks feels top heavy and difficult to wield comfortably for more than a few minutes at a time. The user guide suggests using your pinky finger as a shelf to support Clicks and your index fingers to cradle the case. It definitely helps, but you’re still going to feel that bulk and weight.

Also, setting up Clicks Mode so you can assign Apple Shortcuts to any key is a somewhat fiddly process. It’s not difficult for a tech-savvy, early adopter like me, but I can’t imagine the average person completing these steps. It requires having knowledge about Apple Shortcuts and clearing all Commands under Full Keyboard Access in the Accessibility menu. Thankfully, the Clicks user guide walks you through the entire process.

Another issue I ran into with Clicks is that when I record videos on my iPhone for YouTube and Instagram Reels, I use a wireless microphone. The mic’s receiver connects to my iPhone via USB-C, but since Clicks doesn’t support data passthrough for USB-C iPhones, I have to remove the case every time I want to shoot any video. It’s not a huge deal to me personally, but I hope future versions of Clicks enable data passthrough.

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Clicks Keyboard: Verdict

A Well-Made, First-Gen Device

I’m a big fan of Clicks. This keyboard case for the iPhone looks great with fun colorways and the tiny keyboard is an absolute joy to type on, with superb tactility and feel. It’s a solid product designed with great attention to detail by people who care. But rocking Clicks with an iPhone 15 Pro Max makes for a bulky combination that’s not the most comfortable to use for longer periods of time.

Obviously, your mileage may vary, and you’ll probably have a better experience if you have a smaller iPhone, like the iPhone 15 Pro. Ultimately though, Clicks isn’t for me—at least not as it stands today. I like the idea, and the execution is solid for a first generation product. But I prefer Android. My primary phone is a Pixel 8 Pro, and as it stands, Clicks isn’t compatible with any Android devices. Plus, even after using Clicks for two weeks, I still type way faster and more accurately on glass.

Regardless, Clicks makes a lot of sense for iPhone users, and if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 it’s worth the purchase.

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How I Tested Clicks

I tested Clicks with my iPhone 15 Pro Max over a period of about two weeks. While my iPhone isn’t my main handset (I primarily use a Pixel 8 Pro), during that time I made it a point to use Clicks with my iPhone for the majority of tasks that required typing, such as composing and responding to emails and messages, creating and commenting on social media posts, etc. I also wrote about one quarter of this review with Clicks in Google Docs.

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Mon expertise

I’m a San Francisco-based technology journalist and podcaster who’s been reviewing consumer technology, such as smartphones, wearables, personal audio, and accessories, for publications like Forbes since 2005. I’ve been testing smartphones and accessories since before the launch of the iPhone, including Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Symbian handsets of all shapes and sizes. I dive into the details on each device, and most recently, I tested cameraphones in Antarctica.