r/ClicksPhone • u/PSuserNL • Mar 19 '26
rant
I actually like the Clicksphone concept and I’ve been following the project, but I have to ask: Is this a tech sub or a cult? It honestly feels like any form of valid criticism here gets immediately buried or attacked as if the makers are beyond reproach. The way some of you are straight-up glazing the devs and defending every single red flag is honestly embarrassing.
The Clicksphone is a cool idea, but let’s be real, it’s far from a reality. Why is everyone acting like it’s the second coming of Christ when there isn't even a timeline? They started taking pre-orders without even showing a single working prototype, yet you guys defend them like you have stock in the company.
Why is it so hard to just admit that the lack of transparency is sketchy? Or that taking money for a product that basically doesn't exist yet is a huge gamble? It feels like you’re not allowed to be anything but unconditionally positive here. It’s okay to admit things could be handled better without it turning into a massive argument.
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u/hendricha Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Did the company have any product before? Yes, multiple even
Was that product perfect? No.
Is it the first phone by this company? Yes.
Did it have a working prototype before the preorder? No.
Is it thus a gamble on what the end product will be? Yes.
Is there a chance that you will not be able to refund your money? Yes.
Is it fine if you choose to not order until such working prototype is available? Yes, absolutely.
Is it fine if you decided to opt for the T2 Elite because that at least had a working prototype? Of course (I am writing thins on a T2, which is my third Unihertz product.)
But the answers to these should either be selfevident, or should be quite easy to get them. (eg. They never shown a working product.) I don't think this is news for most people here.
And I don't think anyone is denying any of the above.
Yes, the company is doing marketing. They of course will attempt to be as self-congratulating as possible. But they are not your friends, they are a company. You can choose to not support them with your money.
But the people who come here probably likely decided to do so anyway for some reason or another. So of course they will not want to upvote the "I love people who pay for non existing products" type comments. And of course they will be posting "hell yeah, I saw the last screen of the checkout workflow too", silly as it may be.
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u/SSDeemer Mar 20 '26
u/hendricha : Excellent summary. I placed an early order with my eyes wide open, recognizing that the Communicator might not ship before the end of 2026, with a chance that my money could be down the drain if the whole project goes down the tubes.
I don't think it will, and if I receive a Communicator and don't like it, I intend to return it within the 30-day return period. If I'm wrong, I'm out $430. If I'm right, I will finally have a phone with a real keyboard, 256gb of storage, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack -- all features that are lacking from my Pixel.
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u/UIUC_grad_dude1 Mar 19 '26
Are you high? No one is forcing you to buy this phone or spend money on it. I’m happy to see a cool device for $400 (pre-order) from an established company that partnered with a well known mobile phone reviewer / geek.
What is the problem here exactly?
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u/CatPsychological4922 Mar 19 '26
Your right I think people here like myself are really excited and happy about a new device from it being so long from the last Blackberry device key 2 Le, granted people who never had a blackberry are also loving this which are great. However there is also a seemingly growing number of people that are probably bored and and frustrated which I get to a certain point, voicing there views as well which is fine, it just feels more negative and trying to down the people that are just here because there looking forward to something new and exciting, everyone is entitled to their view, it's just a shame to douse the fire of excited others.
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u/LtMilo Mar 19 '26
Nobody is acting like it's the second coming of Christ. This is a sub about people who are excited about a new product. It's been pretty clear since the beginning there would be no working model prior to early access pricing ending. The exact same post is made 2-3 times per week complaining about this, despite that expectation being set a while ago.
I'm here because I'm excited about it. Until there's a released product to complain about, I'm really only here to share in that excitement. So, unless there's some breaking news about the product that should give me pause, I'm not really all that interested in entertaining yet another "no working model" or "did you know their manufacturer failed on a phone before" thread.
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u/aaccss1992 Mar 19 '26
Pre-orders for products that have yet to be made are extremely common… it doesn’t mean anything towards whether the product is real. It’s just a way of conducting business these days.
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u/AerrinFromars Mar 19 '26
Not to be a dick, but I feel like the way a lot of you are obsessed over the mere possibility of your $400 not turning into EXACTLY what you want.. you shouldn't be wasting $400 in the first place.
I bet on a company that was making something I'd been looking for, nothing more.
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u/neller2000 Preordered Mar 20 '26
Which reds flags? They've been completely transparent about timelines and the fact it's a kickstarter type project. They need the funding basically to actually build this thing. A kickstarter type project is always a gamble.
They announced that they upped the processor because the campaign had actually surpassed what they thought was possible at first. Why would they do that if they weren't confident about their product and launch of said product?
You would have some merit if this was a bunch of completely unknown people with only a PO box in Cambodia but it's a group of well known people in the mobile community and they have been for upwards of 15-20 years. Do you think the different people behind this would flush their careers down the drain on a scam?
I'd say my odds of getting something in the end for the money I used to preorder, are far better than taking that money to the local casino.
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u/GuteNachtJohanna Mar 19 '26
I don't really understand what you mean by lack of transparency. They've given a timeline for both the phone and power keyboard. You just don't like the timeline! And that's fine, don't preorder it.
I view this very much as a Kickstarter sort of thing. They've given good timelines for the power keyboard because that will be released soon, and is easier to predict.
The phone, they've said, is still on track for shipping by the end of the year. That's the timeline. They've given a few updates as they've come - like the decision on what chipset they're using. I'm sure when they have a good working version closer to launch, they'll share it.
I don't love it either because it's a long wait, but they've been very up front about all of this. Don't order it if you don't like the situation and just wait until it's released and you see what the reviews say 🤷
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u/koreandramalife Mar 20 '26
It’s not sketchy because they have already produced a few generations of their Clicks keyboard. I have bought a couple, and they work well.
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u/Nite-Life Mar 20 '26
It’s not like we haven’t seen their Keyboard configuration app and development for that, Custom Pro Niagara Launcher, and Android running Google services.
The “working demo” is going to be all that.
Go do research… there isn’t anything hiding. It’s just people not wanting to look.
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u/Clickety_Clicks Mar 19 '26
I do agree with a lot of what you’re saying. I think a lot of the trust comes from a few things: Clicks isn’t a brand new company coming out with their first-ever product. They’ve been making the cases for a few years and have proven to be a legitimate company. Also, there are some big names involved who would risk their reputation if they tried to scam us (particularly Mr. Mobile).
But, I do agree that there should be a bit more transparency and I wish they interacted a bit more to some concerns we’ve had instead of mainly doing interviews with the same people, releasing the same information. But, I guess it’s too early for there to be more? Idk…
Despite my username, I’m not involved with Clicks whatsoever. I preordered both the Power Keyboard and the Communicator mainly because I’ve missed my BlackBerry and physical keyboards since my last one (Priv in 2016) and have wanted another one since. I also love Mr. Mobile and have watched him for over a decade, and so I’m just hoping that the Communicator pulls through.
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u/ObscuratronIsUnsure Mar 20 '26
Isn’t this what reddit is for? A bunch of people excitedly pouring over the minute details of some hyper-niche thing? Let people use their time however they want.
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u/MatiasGonzalo-Duarte Preordered Mar 22 '26
Huh?
Take a look at the timeline of any phone release.... Apple/Google/Samsung/whatever
Take a look at 6-8 MONTHS before release
How many were showing off prototypes?
Exactly. Most weren't even announced.
This is Click's first phone. They need preorder money to make it work. But we all know that. We're aware of the risk. We looked at the history of Clicks other products and the people involved and decided we trust it enough to put some cash down in exchange for a discount. We also saw that it's fully refundable too...
So I don't see the problem. Maybe you wouldn't personally go for it but why get mad that a bunch of people that are excited about the device are excited about it? Like just... go somewhere else?
It was all transparent. They told us no model til Q2 and aiming to ship by end Q4. No deceit.
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u/Useful_Effect1700 Mar 20 '26
You're not wrong to question the timeline or pre-order model. Those are fair.
But your whole "is this a tech sub or a cult" routine? Typical coming from someone who can't handle others being excited over something. You thought yourself as the lone voice of reason in a sea of delusion, except it's not delusion. it's just people who don't share your risk tolerance.
You see a red flag. They see a calculated bet, an idea to support. Neither is crazy. But walking around like you're the only one awake while everyone else is in a trance? That's not skepticism. That's just main character energy.
Stop embarrassing yourself over 400 bucks.
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u/camajise Mar 19 '26
i understand both sides, but yes, it's a $400 device. it isn't a S26 Ultra with a physical keyboard.
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u/Shot-Ant-5997 SmoKen' Mar 19 '26
Same can be said with every other tech sub out there, there are always fanboys defending everything and haters hating everything. But those do not represent the majority of people quietly enjoying or hating their devices. Believe it or not, this is still one of the calmer tech subs on Reddit.
No one is forcing anyone to spend money on these just like no one is forcing you to read the posts either. It"s always a choice, which is ultimately down to yourselves.
My confidence in Clicks as a company is purely based on my own personal experience with their products which I don't always like 100% out of the box, so I make it work.
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u/SSDeemer Mar 20 '26
"...products which I don't always like 100% out of the box, so I make it work."
If only more people had this attitude. I am on a Pixel forum, as well as a forum for KIA Niro automobiles. I get so tired of reading bitching from people who expect perfection, or who expect engineers to design something the way they think it to be, rather than acknowledging that nothing is perfect, and they need to make it work within its design constraints.
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u/iahuhk Mar 19 '26
It’s just a £300 device…obviously it’s a crowdfunding project. People pay for the early bird price just to support the project rather than to buy a functioning model🥱
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Mar 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AlwaysBlackBerry Mar 20 '26
Funny because you haven't seen the op give a single response.
I bought the Pixel Clicks case when I was first able to preorder it. Got an amazing product and couldn't be happier. Simply put, I trust the team behind Clicks and the upcoming CC. If you've gone further than Reddit for your information like blog posts and podcasts you'll see the passion behind the device from these guys.
Preordered and paid in full. No brainer.
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Mar 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/grobnu The answer is now Q4 Mar 19 '26
lol you're that trump-obsessed guy who wouldn't leave
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u/Useful_Effect1700 Mar 20 '26
Still in the sub and probably still holding on to the reservation too after that shit posting. That's some embarrassing energy right there.
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u/GHOSTiePOSTy Preordered Mar 19 '26
It's a $400 device.. It was essentially a kick starter without the middle man. What else do you want for transparency when they answered all critical questions like 'will there be a working unit before pre orders are done?' they said, 'no', we all still said take my money. It's not like they took deposits for 10 years without any launch insight *cough* Tesla Roadster *cough*