Hello everyone,
i am writing this from my old blackberry key 2 which is getting around 8 years now, has android 8.1. i need a successor phone.
I need a qwertz keyboard, qwerty is ok too.
So i was happy when they announced the clicks communicator and now there is a second option, the minimal phone 2. Both will come out in december 2026 if everything goes according to plan.
The unihertz titan 2 elite is out there too, but i prefer to have the option to have an open bootloader, so the titan is out of my scope…
I like that the minimal has its own android and says: its your device, of course it has an open bootloader…
But its around 100€ more money…
How would you decide?
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!
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!!!
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.
Well,
thank you for your big response.
It really comes a little bit down to:
Do you want a influencer secondary phone, or a more tech oriented minimalistic phone.
And i believe both phones will be good. One difference is also, the clicks has qi2 and the minimal has qi1. I am used to the fingerprint sensor on the spacebar and a led light, but that doesnt mean that the clicks phone is the wrong approach.
The thing, that gets me with the minimal is just: its your device, of course its unlocked bootloader.
And clicks: the bootloader will be unlockable if you contact the manufacturer.
As i am doing almost everything with my keyboard, the minimal is the better use, the commands is great feature, which will hopefully just add entrys not just google calender but also in something like fossify calendar…
I think i will refund my clicks order and get the minimal, even if its 100dollar more expensive.
Wish you the best of luck then, mate!
You might want to look at the Minimal Phone 1 too, since it has an e-ink display and is bit cheaper too, esp. with the newer device coming in