Unihertz Titan 2 Elite hints at the return of smartphones with a physical keyboard

It looks like the era of faceless glass smartphones is starting to crack. With the recent hype surrounding the Clicks Communicator, another notable player is entering the game, turning the niche of physical keyboard devices into a full-fledged competitive field.

After the recent hype surrounding the Clicks Communicator, another notable player is entering the game, turning the niche of physical keyboard devices into a full-fledged competitive field.

Unihertz has officially revealed a teaser of the Titan 2 Elite smartphone — a stylish device that should combine the modern power of Android with the tactile pleasure of physical buttons. At the same time Unihertz can not be called a newcomer in this segment: the brand has been supporting the dream of a QWERTY keyboard for many years, releasing niche models like the rugged Titan, the compact Titan Pocket and the slim Titan Slim. But this new device clearly marks a major shift in the company’s design approach.

In contrast to previous models, which often resembled protected versions of older BlackBerrys or Palm, the Titan 2 Elite looks suspiciously similar to the Clicks Communicator. It forgoes the wide, «Passport» style body in favor of the more familiar silhouette of a modern smartphone, with a keyboard at the bottom. Only a render is available so far, but it shows that Unihertz is moving away from a «builder» aesthetic and aiming to compete directly with the new wave of stylish communicators.

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This announcement is important because it indicates that real competition is forming in the physical keyboard smartphone segment. With the release of Clicks Communicator, users finally have alternatives.

Factually looms the confrontation of two philosophies that outwardly look very similar. The first approach — the companion device. The Clicks Communicator is primarily designed as a secondary gadget for communication without unnecessary distractions. While it runs on Android 16 and can technically be used as a standalone smartphone, it is not intended to be a primary device. The second approach — a smartphone for every day. If the Titan 2 Elite follows in the footsteps of previous Unihertz models, it will be designed to be a single device capable of handling all of a user’s digital tasks around the clock.

The Titan 2 Elite is a smartphone that can be used as a single device to handle all of a user’s digital tasks.

This is important because this approach validates the viability of the form factor. Manufacturers are starting to realize that a modern smartphone with a keyboard doesn’t have to look like a relic from 2008. By using a screen-priority design, Unihertz recognizes that users still want to flip through social media, even if they’d rather type emails on real buttons.

At the same time, they’re also recognizing that users still want to flip through social media, even if they’d rather type emails on real buttons.

There’s no concrete information about the Titan 2 Elite’s specs, price, or release date at this point, so it’s hard to judge whether it can really compete on performance. However, there is one significant point of doubt. Unihertz has a long-standing reputation for mediocre software support.

The company often delays operating system updates, preferring to release new models instead of supporting devices already on sale. If the Titan 2 Elite is really going to be a serious contender, Unihertz will have to prove that the smartphone will be supported for the long term, or at least offer the same two years of OS updates that Clicks promises.