Physical keyboard phones are officially back in style this year with two major contenders that have squarely entered the ring: Clicks and Unihertz. However, one of these brands is making a point to prove it is in it to win it by offering something it normally doesn’t: extended OS updates.
The keyboard comeback is real
If you have been waiting for the return of physical buttons, 2026 is shaping up to be your year. We have two distinct options arriving later this year that are fighting for the crown: the Clicks Communicator and the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite. While we knew competition would be stiff between these two, Unihertz just dropped some major news
on its official website that changes the dynamic completely.
The company has updated its official website, effectively confirming that the Titan 2 Elite will launch with Android 16 right out of the box. Even better, they are guaranteeing five years of operating system updates (taking it all the way to Android 20) and security patches until 2031. This is a massive shift from their historical strategy, where devices were released and rarely updated, addressing the most common complaint from their user base.
Unihertz is answering the competition
Screenshot from the Unihertz website confirming extended support for the Titan 2 Elite. | Image credit — Unihertz
This sudden commitment to long-term support likely isn’t a coincidence. It looks like Unihertz is feeling the pressure from the Clicks Communicator, which has been generating a lot of buzz.
Clicks recently
updated its own policy to commit to a minimum of four years of Android version updates and five years of security updates. It seems Unihertz decided to match and slightly exceed that commitment to ensure they don’t lose ground in the niche market.It is worth noting that we still don’t have official pricing for the Titan 2 Elite, though rumors place it above the $399 price tag of the current model. You can compare that to the Clicks Communicator, which is currently listed at $399 for early birds before the price jumps to $499 in late February.
Competition is a big win for keyboard fans
This is the best possible outcome for consumers like us. For years, we had very few options if we wanted a brand-new keyboard phone, which allowed manufacturers to be lax about software support. Now that the Clicks Communicator and the Titan 2 Elite are going head-to-head, both companies are forced to step up their game.
I used to hesitate when recommending Unihertz devices solely because of the lack of updates, but this official commitment has me reconsidering. If they stick to this promise, the Titan 2 Elite has the potential to become a strong contender in this hardware keyboard smartphone space. I am eager to try out both devices later this year, but for now, it is exciting to simply have two viable options fighting for our attention.
