Clicks Communicator surprise spec bump asks ‘what RAM crisis?’

The BlackBerry-like phone also got a spec bump and an impending price hike. Smartphones Clicks Communicator shipments begin in December The BlackBerry-like phone also got a spec bump and an impending price hike. By Will Shanklin Sept.

The company's first smartphone, the Clicks Communicator, will begin shipping in December, nearly a year after its CES 2026 rollout. The final version is getting a few spec upgrades, along with an October 1 price hike. The Communicator will now ship with 12GB of RAM, up from the originally announced 8GB.

Its battery capacity has grown from 4,000mAh to 4,350mAh and is rated to handle more than 800 charge cycles. It will run Android 17 out of the box with software support through Android 20, along with five years of security updates. The device embraces a combination of quirky design and nostalgia.

Inspired by BlackBerry phones of old, the Communicator has a physical keyboard below its 4.03-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display. It runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 chip and has 256GB of internal storage with microSD expansion. In another old-school nod, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Clicks just made its Blackberry-like Android phone even more tempting. Clicks Communicator surprise spec bump asks 'what RAM crisis?' Clicks just made its Blackberry-like Android phone even more tempting.

Clicks is promising three major Android OS updates and five years of security updates for the keyboard-first phone. The Communicator starts shipping in December, with its $499 launch price available only through September 30.

Yes, the company that went viral last year with its physical keyboard attachment for Android phones? Its ambitions have clearly grown, and we’ve just gotten our clearest look at what’s next.

At CES earlier this year, the company showed off the Clicks Communicator, a full-fledged Android phone built from the ground up with a keyboard-first design. With the model now slated to begin shipping in December, Clicks has finalized the phone’s specs and upgraded some of its hardware before launch.

The London, UK-based company is bringing upgrades to some of the initially announced specs, including its RAM, battery, and software support. The main upgrade here is the RAM bump.

The Clicks Communicator will ship with 12GB of RAM, up from the original 8GB planned for the device. We don’t expect the Communicator to be particularly memory-hungry, especially when compared to modern Android smartphones.

That’s mainly because the handset isn’t meant to be a mobile gaming powerhouse, nor does it have its sights set on being the best device to binge Netflix on. Instead, it’s targeting the best communicator throne, and the additional 4GB of RAM should definitely give it more breathing room when multitasking between productivity and communication apps.

Elsewhere, when first shown off in January, Clicks claimed that the Communicator would sport a 4,000mAh battery. We now know that the final model will instead pack a bigger 4,350mAh battery, which, according to the company, is rated for 800+ charge cycles.

That’s a 50mAh bigger battery than the Galaxy S26, for reference. Joe Maring / There’s also a notable upgrade on the software side.

The Communicator was initially supposed to launch with Android 16, with two years of major OS upgrades. Now, Clicks has confirmed that the upcoming device will ship with Android 17 preinstalled, complete with three years of guaranteed major OS updates and five years of security updates.

That’s certainly an improvement over what was revealed earlier, but still falls short of what most other major Android brands offer in 2026. Samsung’s flagships get seven years of OS updates, while its mid-range phones, which are monetarily more comparable to the Communicator, get six.

Of all the Communicator’s specs, this short OS support window could end up hurting it the most. Starting today, reservation holders can begin configuring their color, keyboard layout, charging covers, and accessories.

The final day to pre-order the Communicator at the $499 launch price is Wednesday, September 30, after which its price will jump up to $649. As mentioned earlier, the Communicator will start shipping in December.

Alongside the upgraded specs, Clicks today also announced new accessories and plans. Check them out in the company’s news release.