This is Samsung’s clunky clip-on keyboard for the Galaxy S6 edge+

Really, Samsung? Photo: Evan Blass

Really, Samsung? Photo: Evan Blass

In a bid to appeal to the few users that are still clinging onto BlackBerry devices, Samsung seems to have designed a clunky clip-on keyboard cover for its upcoming Galaxy S6 edge+.

The device, which was leaked on Twitter ahead of its official unveiling, puts physical keys over the handset’s display to provide a tactile typing experience.

The vast majority of smartphone consumers are used to typing on a touchscreen now, and I can’t imagine many would want to turn to a physical keyboard if it meant clipping an accessory as ugly as this onto their shiny new smartphone. But Samsung can… apparently.

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Photo: Evan Blass

The keyboard looks a lot like one of those found on Samsung smartphones of old, such as the Galaxy Pro. In addition to letters and numbers, it offers a whole bunch of common symbols, and what appears to be an emoji shortcut key. It also has home, back, and recent apps buttons built-in.

The image above, which appears to be a genuine press image, was published by reliable leaked Evan Blass, or @evleaks on Twitter. We can’t be totally sure it’s genuine — there’s a part of me that thinks this must be some kind of joke — but Blass does have a terrific track record.

And let’s face it, Samsung has sold stranger stuff in the past.