If you’re spending enough time on Gen Z NostalgiaTok, you’ll know that everyone is in their retro film camera, vinyl record, and cassette tape era.
Now there’s one more thing to add to your analog bag — an extra phone.
Two’s a party?
Clicks Communicator was unveiled at CES 2026. For $499 (or $399 if you pre-order), you might think that it’s meant to do everything, but the focus is on messaging only.
- The Communicator runs on Android, and is kind of like an old BlackBerry, with a physical keyboard and a square screen.
- “Nothing about this device feels like a modern 2026 product,” says tech reviewer Will Sattleberg, “and I mean that in the best way possible.”
The company, founded by YouTube tech reviewers MrMobile and CrackBerry Kevin, says the phone can be a “primary phone or companion.”
So, you can use it to replace your main device, but it can also be a secondary addition where you can take it out of the house for work and do your emails without getting stuck in the content vortex. Sounds peaceful.
Dumbing it down
The ‘dumbphone’ scene continues to boom as people reassess their relationships with the scroll.
It’s estimated to be a $2.3B market, but there’s still a range of options to suit all budgets.
- You can drop $50 on eBay for a classic Nokia 3310 (once the absolute coolest phone on the elementary school playground).
- Or you can spend $699 to pre-order the new Lightphone III (which just might solve all your screentime problems, according to Jordan McMahon at New York Magazine).
The less the merrier?
If you’re not ready to be a two-phone or dumbphone person, Clicks Technology also has a battery-charging MagSafe physical keyboard that’s compatible with a regular smartphone.
It seems like it would at least bring back some of the nostalgic thrill of sending a late-night BBM when you’re meant to be prepping for a Calc test.
Phones
Phones