I discovered the cutest (and strangest) Android cellphone at CES 2026

I do know that the Clicks Communicator obtained a number of love at CES this yr. Truthfully, it most likely deserves most of it — a bodily keyboard with a fingerprint reader hidden within the spacebar is a cool design. It wasn’t a lot of a shock, although, as we’d heard rumblings about huge issues out of Clicks main as much as the present.

Nonetheless, as I wandered the present ground on my final day in Las Vegas, I stumbled upon one other tiny little Android machine, and I feel it might need stolen a few of the Communicator’s thunder. It’s referred to as the Ikko MindOne, and it’s precisely the kind of quirky little machine I really like to seek out at CES.

The second my colleague, Joe Maring, and I rounded the nook on the present ground at CES, the Ikko MindOne instantly caught our eyes. I might describe it as wanting like so many different Android telephones or AI devices, but it’s not an ideal match for any of them. It’s as for those who chopped off the duvet display of a Motorola Razr, shrank an iPhone down right into a sq., or made the Rabbit R1 sensible. It’s form of superior.

Extra particularly, the MindOne is an almost-square Android cellphone that additionally runs an Ikko AI working system with the flip of a digital swap. Which means it comes out of your pocket feeling just like the (barely dated) Android 15 expertise you’re already used to, however you’ll be able to swap to a secondary app drawer that permits you to use AI to take assembly notes, assist with homework, and create real-time translations. Then, whenever you’re executed with that, you’ll be able to flip proper again to Android 15 and put the AI options away for a short time.

Earlier than I obtained to any of these AI choices, nevertheless, I needed to give Ikko’s {hardware} an excellent, lengthy look. Its buttons really feel like what you’d anticipate on a small Android cellphone, with an influence button and fingerprint reader tucked under the amount rocker on the aspect, and the AI set off is positioned on the highest edge. What’s actually fascinating, although, is Ikko’s alternative of digital camera. The MindOne includes a single 50MP 1/1.56-inch sensor from Sony, which can appear inconvenient at first, however it really has a singular benefit: you’ll be able to flip it 180 levels to perform as a selfie digital camera as properly. It’s equal elements fidget toy and sensible design alternative.

I’m, after all, a shameless {hardware} nerd, so I beloved the texture of the MindOne in my hand. Who wouldn’t when it’s obtained a sapphire glass show and measures lower than 9mm thick? I’ll admit that its twin working system setup shocked me. Oh, and since the sq. design may not be snug at first for some individuals, Ikko additionally has a snap-in keyboard case in your bodily typing wants. It offers you again display actual property whereas additionally including a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Hello-Fi DAC for improved audio output.

I wasn’t certain how switching between Android and a devoted AI interface would really feel, however the Ikko staff has made it fairly clean.

There’s not a lot want to clarify the Android 15 expertise to you — it’s a light-weight pores and skin that jogs my memory of a mixture between Google’s Pixel UI and Motorola’s Howdy UX — so I’ll principally concentrate on the AI OS half of the equation. It’s… equally light-weight and simple. Ikko constructed out methods to make use of its digital camera to ask questions, assist with homework, and a bunch extra, whereas additionally giving the MindOne one of many extra versatile chatbot setups I’ve seen.

Mainly, you’re not restricted to only one AI mannequin. If you open the AI Chat app, it populates with a menu of various voices and a choice of ChatGPT fashions, Claude, DeepSeek, and Gemini inside thumb’s attain. I’m undecided whether or not it’s worthwhile to undergo the method of logging into the fashions that require premium subscriptions, however I’m excited to seek out out as soon as I spend a bit extra time with the cellphone.

What I do know, although, is that the MindOne prides itself on providing free knowledge — at the least for some customers. It apparently depends on NovaLink for knowledge entry to its AI instruments in additional than 60 nations, whereas additionally supporting vSIM and a Nano-SIM slot for wider protection. I’ll be curious to see simply how properly that protection works, in addition to how shortly Ikko’s three promised Android updates are delivered after launch.

Within the meantime, I’m excited to offer the MindOne an extended run as my secondary machine. I hesitate to raise it to major machine standing as a result of I’m undecided what cell bands it’ll help simply but, however I’ll fortunately put its AI options to the take a look at towards the likes of Google and Samsung. If it will probably, I’ll be very happy to unencumber some pocket area with a fair smaller design. If it will probably’t, there’s all the time the Clicks Communicator.