February 22, 2026
Keyboard cult vs. touch zombies
In World Without BlackBerry, Physical Keyboards on Phones Are Making a Comeback
Nostalgia war erupts as ‘clicky’ phones try to rise from the dead
TLDR: Phone makers and accessory brands are trying to bring back real, clicky keyboards for phones, riding a wave of nostalgia and frustration with giant on‑screen keys. In the comments, fans cheer, tinkerers hack old BlackBerrys, and skeptics swear this “comeback” is pure fantasy, sparking a full nostalgia brawl.
Physical keyboards on phones are creeping back, but the real show is the comments section, where it’s basically Boomers vs. Black Mirror. Some users are swooning over the memories: one person flexes that they once rebooted a telco mainframe from a Nokia brick and now dreams of a Sidekick comeback with no touchscreen allowed. That’s not a phone, that’s a personality.
Others are just mad at today’s giant on‑screen keyboards. One game maker rants that modern phone keyboards have gotten so tall they’re crushing his word game off the screen, turning a simple puzzle into a rage simulator. A former BlackBerry Classic holdout admits he only gave it up when 3G died, saying the awful browser saved him from phone addiction – now he’s eyeing the new retro-fit kits like a recovering addict browsing the bar menu.
Then there’s the DIY crowd treating this like a hardware zombie apocalypse, wiring cheap BlackBerry keyboards to little radios and e‑ink screens to build their own off‑grid communicators. But the most brutal energy comes from the skeptics, like the commenter who snaps that, no, for the fifth time, keyboards are not actually “back.” The vibe? A full-blown nostalgia flame war over whether clicky keys are a glorious return… or just Instagram bait for retro nerds.
Key Points
- •The article reports a small resurgence of phones and accessories with physical QWERTY keyboards, driven by user nostalgia and desire for tactile typing.
- •Companies are introducing both keyboard-equipped phones and keyboard cases that attach to existing iPhone and Android devices, some showcased at CES and Mobile World Congress.
- •Zinwa is reviving the BlackBerry Classic by replacing its internal hardware with updated components and reselling the refreshed devices.
- •Physical keyboards appeal to users who type extensively on their phones, are frustrated with touchscreen autocorrect, or want variety from standard smartphone designs, including retro-tech enthusiasts.
- •BlackBerry stopped producing phone hardware in 2020 and discontinued its software services in 2022, leaving only outdated TCL-made BlackBerry models like the KeyOne and Key2 available on the secondary market.