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I wouldn't go for it personally, it looks a bit shady, being promoted by an influencer, and their marketing is quite opaque. I also hate the price shown on their site ~~is~~/was their deposit price, a fraction of the actual base price.
Some notes comparing the Clicks and MP2 from a comment I made in my Lemmy account:
The Clicks is plastic fantastic while the Minimal Phone 2 is metal (+ glass?). Weight is not an issue, the MP2 is only 8g lighter, but it might feel a bit denser due to the smaller size.
The screen on the Clicks is a bit rounded compared to the flat one on the MP2.
You also have a voice key on the Clicks, which could be a pro or con depending on how much you'll use it and, more importantly, how often it will be accidentally pressed. The MP2 has a switch that can be reprogrammed, which seems really useful!
edit: The Clicks has a customisable button on the keyboard! (different from the voice key) Seems neat, it depends on whether you prefer a button on the side or on the keys. Original post continues below:
The cameras look similar on both devices, but you do have a cutout on the Clicks while the MP2 has a Sony Xperia style forehead (which should also mean better speaker quality?)
The fingerprint sensor is on the spacebar on the Clicks, but on the MP2 it's on the side. I personally prefer on the side button, but either work.
The MP2 has a notification LED that can be configured per-app!!!
edit: So does the Clicks, yay! Original post continues now:
As for I/O, They both have 3.5mm jacks, hooray!! The MP2 does not have microSD card slots (they are transparent about this), but the Clicks does. The MP2 supports USB3 (5Gbps) and DP over USB-C, while I can't find the specs of the port on the Clicks website (so I'm assuming it is USB2, please correct me if it was mentioned in a promotional video).
They both have a squareish aspect ratio (the MP2 is 40 pixels taller, but basically identical) and the software looks a bit different: Niagara Launcher on the Clicks and a custom solution on the MP2 that looks a bit nicer, both run full Android though.
The MP2, as you have said, is more open with an unlockable bootloader, while the Clicks makes no mention of this. Both work with any carrier.
They both use the same Dimensity 8300 chip, they both run recent Android, 12GB of RAM, etc., so there shouldn't be significant performance differences
I would rather go with the MP2 if I did need the physical keyboard, it looks to be more open and has a nicer build. USB3 + DP over USB-C, the programmable switch, and notification LED is also really important for me. The storage is not expandable on the MP2 though, but realistically you're not going to be using much on this kind of device I feel like (goes up to a 512GB config if you need it)
You also have the fact that the Minimal Phone is in its second generation, while this is Clicks' first device, so support might be a bit better. In both cases though, they are relatively new companies, so keep that in mind. They both have a 1 year warranty.
I also feel like Clicks is a little shady, the website shows a "starting price" of $199 (when that's just the deposit, not the full price of $499), and it's very difficult to find some of the specs for the thing (it's not nearly as detailed as the MP2's kickstarter page). You also have the whole supported by an influencer marketing that doesn't do it any favours. Neither is particularly great in terms of reputation, but Minimal seems more transparent than Clicks in my opinion.
The Clicks also has a programmable switch and notification light fwiw. Both are featured here. I don't know of they've confirmed whether the voice button will be reprogrammable but I doubt they'd lock it down like Samsung used to with the Bixby key...
Clicks has confirmed bootloader will be unlockable.
I don't think USB speeds have been confirmed yet.
Worth noting they have shipped keyboard cases and accessories before so not totally new to production and design. But phones are a totally different space.
Personally MP02 looks nice but from what I can tell by holding mockups it still seems the Communicator will have the best ergonomics and most well thought out typing experience by far of any of these keyboard phones. The tall, spaced out keys., back bevel, and chin make it a better experience in the hands.
I look at MP02 as a digital minimalist phone first that uses the keyboard to that end. Clicks seems more like a company making the best possible keyboard hardware first and digital minimalism is more just marketing to hop on the trend and expand their niche market. That's not a knock on either.
Reviews will reveal the truth in the end.
It wasn't listed on their website when I checked a few weeks ago, has it been updated?
edit: Yep, I can see that on their site now. Has it always been there? Dunno, but it looks customisable too, which is good!
There is a customisable "Clicks Key" on the keyboard, whereas the MP02 has a button on the side rails, so it's just user preference I guess? The fingerprint reader is in a similar situation too.
That's good, hopefully it'll be unlockable without any cloud shenanigans that other companies pull
If USB3 isn't listed, assume it is USB2. The MP02 labels their port as supporting USB3 speeds. Time will tell, but when a manufacturer doesn't advertise the speed of USB it's almost always USB2 480Mbps.
That was my point, this is their first smartphone. The first device. The keyboard case is kind of neat but phones are a beast of their own (software development, thermal management, finding suppliers for all the parts, etc.)
I wouldn't get either right now, but the MP02 seems more open and transparent than Clicks, plus the software looks more polished and keyboard-centric with the commands and whatnot. I really don't like how Clicks advertised the "starting at" price with the $199 deposit on their site.
edit: It seems they've changed that now and are advertising the early bird price with a slash over the retail price, which is better! Still doesn't help my suspicions though.
They are both featured here: https://clicksphone.com/communicator
I don't know if the site changed anytime recently but these were always part of the phone from announcement.
Must have missed that, sorry! No idea if it was always on the site, either way my bad!
The post has been amended