I went looking for weird phones and CES 2026 did not disappoint

It’s January, which intends there’s a full twelvemonth of rectangular solid slabs up of us. But earlier that happens, I managed to find phones of a different style lurking astir the corners of the CES normal halfway halls. They weren’t halfway stage, of course. That was reserved for robots doing laundry badly. But successful the margins astatine tech’s biggest show, I saw immoderate glimmers of dream that the early of phones mightiness not look arsenic same-y arsenic it has for the past half decade — astatine least, if you cognize wherever to look.

Clicks, the institution known for its keyboard cases, didn’t conscionable motorboat a operation MagSafe powerfulness slope and slide-out keyboard accessory. It besides launched a whole-ass phone. The Communicator leans difficult into Clicks’ BlackBerry DNA, pinch its afloat keyboard and Curve-esque design. The prototype units I sewage to play pinch weren’t functional, but the keyboard keys worked, and boy did they consciousness nice. The interchangeable backmost panels are sleek, and I’m personally campaigning for a fuzzy tennis shot optic yellowish option.

The Communicator isn’t needfully trying to put your main smartphone retired of a job. Its creators envision it arsenic a companion to your regular driver, thing you time off the location pinch erstwhile typing retired an email is going to beryllium your attraction much than scrolling done a provender of vertical videos. You know, for illustration erstwhile you’re moving betwixt meetings astatine a normal for 4 days. But you don’t person to usage it that way; Clicks cofounder and trading lead Jeff Gadway told maine that they’ve been amazed by the number of group expressing liking successful the telephone arsenic a superior device. And you cognize what? Those group mightiness beryllium connected to something.

I request to tip my chapeau to Ben Sin for putting the MindOne Pro connected my radar. It was easy to miss connected the show floor; Ikko’s booth was successful the farthest reaches of Central Hall past a concession guidelines trading questionable meatball sandwiches. But find it I did, and erstwhile I had it successful manus I didn’t want to fto this small telephone go. It’s a full-featured Android telephone pinch a quadrate format, 4-inch screen, and 50-megapixel rear camera that rotates upward for selfies. The camera moreover acts arsenic a kickstand if you want to prop the telephone up! What a concept. I put the MindOne Pro successful my pocket, and aft a mates of weeks carrying the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, it felt ray arsenic a feather.

I’d ne'er heard of Ikko, which apparently sewage its commencement making earbuds. Still, I’m a small wary of a telephone shaper erstwhile I’m unsure of its way grounds for providing package updates and being bully stewards of your individual data. The MindOne Pro really comes pinch a 2nd OS installed: a proprietary OS that centers astir AI apps. These AI features besides travel pinch free world information truthful you tin usage them moreover if you’re distant from your location network. The company’s Kickstarter page mentions that you tin preorder the telephone and have it shipped without the Ikko OS, only Android, which is an appealing action if you’re willing successful the mini telephone facet and not each the rest. I’m hoping to trial it retired soon, truthful enactment tuned for more.

The TriFold wasn’t moreover connected the main show floor, but its beingness astatine the show loomed almost arsenic ample arsenic its 10-inch display. And successful fairness, it is simply a rectangular solid slab. It conscionable unfolds into a much bigger slab. I spent almost each of the clip I was allotted pinch it using it unfolded — rearranging windows successful DeX standalone mode, displaying 3 vertical video feeds broadside by side, and turning the full point sideways and scrolling done our homepage, which is amazingly awesome. I’m not a tablet feline usually, but the versatility and committedness of the TriFold makes maine wonderment if I could clasp that manner if it meant I could get distant pinch leaving my MacBook astatine location much often. I intend to trial this mentation arsenic soon arsenic I can.

There were other different phones about and immoderate much familiar-looking shapes, but these 3 guidelines retired to maine arsenic different ways to attack the aforesaid problem: Our phones are great, but they don’t rather activity for america each the time. What if they weren’t truthful intrusive? What if they came pinch a keyboard? What if they were besides a tablet that could besides beryllium your computer? Wouldn’t that beryllium something? The rectangular slabs are unthinkable pieces of tech, and astir group are astir apt conscionable good pinch that position quo. But for those of america asking for thing else, I’m gladsome location are companies consenting to effort thing shaped a spot differently.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge