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| Pictured - the Sidephone with the modular compact QWERTY keypad against a light gray background (left) and the QWERTY keypad on its own against a dark gray background |
The new physical keypad blends a classic typing feel with smart predictive text, offering a fresh option for distraction-free communication.
Sidephone has officially pulled back the curtain on a highly-anticipated new accessory for its upcoming debut device, the SP-01. The company announced a compact QWERTY Keypad tile, complete with a novel predictive typing engine, designed to work seamlessly with the phone’s modular, distraction-lite hardware. This tile, which had previously been glimpsed in a promotional email, is now confirmed as the latest addition to Sidephone’s growing ecosystem of swappable physical interfaces.
A Dense Grid of Tactile Buttons
The Compact QWERTY Keypad is built on a 5x5 grid of physical buttons. Sidephone’s design goal was clear: deliver the familiar, spread-out feel of a QWERTY keyboard within the same small footprint as its existing tiles. Each key is multifunctional, housing letters, numbers, and symbols, with dedicated rows for navigation (d-pad), space, backspace, and call controls. Attachment is handled via the same reliable pogo-pin connector used on Sidephone’s earlier T9 and Sundial keypads, ensuring a secure click into the SP-01’s frame.
Smarter Than T9: The Predictive Typing Engine
The real magic behind this dense layout is the new software powering it. Sidephone developed a predictive typing engine that acts less like a traditional keyboard and more like an evolved, intelligent T9 system. As a user presses keys, the software actively surfaces word suggestions, working to disambiguate the intended letter combinations on the compact grid.
This approach is a clever solution to a physical constraint. It allows for a viable typing experience without resorting to shrinking keys to the tiny sizes seen on classic BlackBerry devices. It’s a hybrid philosophy: the satisfying tactility of physical buttons married to the assistive intelligence of modern software.
Early buzz on forums like Reddit shows enthusiasts are already dissecting the potential of this new input method. You can join the discussion on r/Sidephone here, where users are speculating on its speed and customization.
Filling a Gap in the Modular Line-Up
Sidephone had already promised a versatile keypad ecosystem. Early SP-01 units for founders will ship with a traditional T9 tile, ideal for quick taps and nostalgia. The separately sold Sundial media keypad (inspired by the iPod’s click wheel) caters to music playback and basic navigation.
The new Compact QWERTY slots in as the text-heavy option. It’s designed for users who draft longer messages, emails, or notes, providing a comfortable middle ground between the T9’s multi-tap system and using the on-screen keyboard on the device’s modest 2.8-inch display.
Customizable and Swappable by Design
True to Sidephone’s modular philosophy, the keypad is both user-swappable and software-remappable. Through Sidephone’s keymapping interface—demoed earlier this year—any button can be reassigned to launch apps or trigger specific functions. This opens up creative use cases: the Compact QWERTY could effectively double as a shortcut pad for power users who might prefer T9 for typing but want a dense grid of hardware controls for their most-used actions.
Availability and Pricing
According to the announcement, the first variant of the Compact QWERTY Keypad will ship in an English (US) layout for US$29. Support for other international layouts, such as AZERTY or QWERTZ, will depend on market demand and meeting minimum order quantities. The team plans to showcase a working demo of the keypad and its predictive algorithm at CES 2026.
For those eager to get their hands on the core system, Sidephone’s Founders Edition phones are still on track for January 2026 shipments. These will be bundled with the original T9 keypad and the Sundial media tile for early backers. The company is currently targeting March 2026 for the first production run of the Compact QWERTY, which will be sold separately and slot into the modular bay shown in recent device renders.
Experience modular simplicity. The Sidephone SP-01 and its growing family of tiles are designed for intentional use. Check current availability on Amazon.
Sidephone's Compact QWERTY Keypad
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