Do Young People Prefer Using 26 Keys Instead of 9 Keys?

Unforgettable Youth

In the past, I used to secretly message under the desk during class, honing my typing skills with the 9-key method. It has become deeply ingrained in my bones.

Perhaps I’m getting old.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Keyboard Input Methods

In the last few years before the rise of smartphones, Nokia’s E63 and E72, which had full keyboards, were once very popular, and I used them as well. Comparatively speaking, the biggest advantage of full keyboard phones over 9-key phones lies in the input of English or various characters, but in terms of daily use efficiency, there isn’t much difference.

This is because in Pinyin input method, whether it’s 9-key or 26-key, word selection is required after inputting the letters. The convenience of the 26-key lies in the direct input of Pinyin letters, which is more accurate. However, later on, almost all smartphones also installed input methods with intelligent predictive text functions, so even with 9-key input, commonly used high-frequency words and the predicted words that follow can appear, and the efficiency is not lower than that of the 26-key.

Of course, when inputting English or characters, the drawbacks of the 9-key become apparent; you have to press the corresponding number first and then select the letter, which is definitely less efficient than the 26-key.

Overall, these two input methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. On mobile phones, the advantage of the 9-key is that it has a large operating area with a low rate of mis-clicks, while the advantage of the 26-key is the precise selection of letters. The disadvantage of the 9-key is that sometimes you may have to make multiple selections or input several letters, while the disadvantage of the 26-key is the small touch area, which is prone to accidental touches, especially for people with large hands and thick fingers, for whom the 26-key is not user-friendly.

The reason why the post-2000 generation prefers the 26-key is actually due to a major reason - the use of English words and abbreviations has become increasingly common in their daily life and communication. When the post-80s and post-90s were young, many popular internet slang terms were still in Chinese, but nowadays, a considerable number of them have become letters, such as “yyds,” “wdnmd,” “dbq,” and even some foreign words are expressed in letter form, like “ky.”

Undoubtedly, the advantage of the 26-key is quite evident in this mode of communication.

In addition, over the past decade, the internet industry has basically transitioned to the mobile internet, which has also led to changes in typing habits. Take the following paragraph for example:

If your budget is around five to six thousand, I think ThinkBook 14+, Xiao Xin Pro 14, Wu Wei 14 Pro, and StarBook Pro 14 are all worth considering. They all offer good value for money. Personally, I highly recommend ThinkBook 14+ or Xiao Xin Pro 14. ThinkBook 14+ has more ports, including an Ethernet port, while Xiao Xin Pro 14 has a more compact design and a slightly lower price. If you have time, let’s meet at Kaidi Mall after work on Friday, and I’ll show you the actual machines.

Currently, I am typing this paragraph on a computer and don’t see any problems. However, if I were to type this paragraph on a mobile phone for someone, I would also switch to the 26-key input method - because there are a large number of letters and numbers in this text, and typing with the 26-key method is definitely faster.

In other words, during the era of feature phones in the past, mobile phones served a simple purpose of making calls and sending text messages. In most cases, communication was still done on the computer, so there wasn’t much difference between the 9-key and 26-key. However, nowadays, mobile phones have almost taken up a major part of our lives, and many people may not touch a computer after work, except for work-related tasks. In this situation, the 26-key saves the trouble of switching input methods and it is normal that more young people use it.

Therefore, setting aside the changes in communication methods and habits, the significance of purely discussing which input method is better between the 9-key and 26-key in the Chinese context is actually not significant.

Disadvantages of Virtual Keyboards

As a member of Generation Y, I also use a 26-key keyboard, so this issue cannot simply be attributed to whether young people like to use new things.

Advantages of the 9-key keyboard:

1. It uses physical keys and raised positioning points for tactile positioning, but now virtual keys do not have tactile positioning functionality.
2. The keys are large in size and few in number, making it easy to use single-handedly or with both hands for blind typing. However, now the keyboard occupies nearly half of the screen directly, and the blind typing feature, which is unnecessary due to the lack of tactile feedback.
3. With blind typing, the eyes can continuously focus on the screen to select words. However, now the virtual keyboard and word selection are close together, so this need no longer exists.

Considering these points, the 9-key keyboard on large-screen, full-screen smartphones with virtual keyboards does not actually have the advantages of the previous era of physical keys.

Disadvantages of the 9-key keyboard/Advantages of the 26-key keyboard:

1. If a large amount of mixed Chinese and English input is required, the 9-key keyboard must frequently switch between Chinese and English by clicking the switch key, whereas the 26-key keyboard can directly enter English while typing in Chinese and simply hit the enter key without any switching required.
2. If high-speed typing is needed, whether in Chinese or English, the 26-key keyboard is much more efficient than the 9-key keyboard because the 9-key keyboard requires each key to correspond to four or more selectable options.
3. For those who are only familiar with computer blind typing and its key layout, using the 9-key keyboard on a phone requires them to learn again, while the 26-key keyboard can be used directly. Conversely, if someone has only used the 9-key keyboard on a phone, they will need to start from scratch to learn typing on a computer with a 26-key keyboard.

Of course, the 26-key keyboard also has its disadvantages, the most obvious being that modern smartphone screens cannot provide more space for the 26 keys, resulting in very small keys that are easily mistyped. This is fundamentally related to the lack of pressure and travel in virtual keys. Therefore, if I had to say that I expect a revolutionary update to the 9-key keyboard, it would be that I would prefer the virtual keyboard to acquire the characteristics of physical keys.

Regarding some responses to the comment:

Misconception: Virtual keyboards have vibration and sound effects, so they are equivalent to physical keyboards.

Correct response: Physical keyboard keys are raised in a three-dimensional manner and are not triggered when your fingers rest on top of them.

Therefore, you can rely on tactile feedback and positioning points to quickly find nearby keys and place your fingers on them. You can also apply pressure as a preparatory action.

If you rest your fingers on two keys at the same time, you can immediately perceive it, and even if you accidentally press them, the required pressure is often doubled. If your fingers do not provide enough pressure, only the main key may be triggered or none at all.

In contrast, virtual keyboards lack all of this feedback before pressing, so virtual keyboards cannot be equated with physical keyboards.

Misconception: The layout of the 26-key keyboard is not reasonable, so it is worse than the 9-key keyboard.

Correct response:

The default layout of the 26-key keyboard is QWERTY, which is consistent with the most popular keyboard layout on computers.

Indeed, the standard layout is not the most efficient, but this comparison is made with other 26-key layouts, rather than the 9-key layout.

Furthermore, the comparison is based on typing with all ten fingers.

When using a phone, only the thumb is used, so this issue does not apply.

If you want a more efficient 26-key keyboard layout, you can try the DVORAK or Colemak layouts, which are supported by many input methods.

Misconception: The 9-key virtual keyboard can also be used for blind typing, so it is better than the 26-key virtual keyboard and not inferior to the physical 9-key keyboard.

In reality, as a virtual keyboard, blind typing means relying on the movement distance of the fingers and using peripheral vision to remember and control the landing point of the fingers on the keys. The large area of the keys also significantly reduces the error rate.

In comparison with physical keyboards, there is no comparison at all.

You can try putting your phone in your pocket and typing as you did with physical keys. See if your blind typing ability is the same as when you have the screen right in front of your eyes.

Misconception: The right “Enter” key on the 9-key keyboard directly types out English letters.

Correct response: Try using this method to type out “Lori.”

I’m curious how each key on the 9-key keyboard, which corresponds to four letters, can select the letter you want with just one “Enter” key. Is it by long-pressing a single key to select one out of the four letters?

Or is it only used for individual letters and not for forming words, names, or model numbers?

Relying on the commonly used layout on computers, the 26-key layout is easier to memorize. The current problem is that virtual keyboards lack feedback and have limited screen space, which affects the efficiency of the 26-key keyboard.

Evolution of Typing Methods

When I was young, I used an electronic dictionary for a period of time. It only had directional buttons and a confirmation button, without even a back button. Typing depended solely on selecting individual letters one by one, and selecting letters could only be done by moving a highlighted cursor on the virtual keyboard (similar to the typing method on many “smart TVs” today).

Later on, when I got my own phone, I started using the 9-key method, which everyone was quite proud of for touch typing. However, it did not provide the efficiency I needed for self-expression.

Then I used a full keyboard phone, finally experiencing the satisfaction of typing words at the speed I desired. At that time, I felt like I had so many thoughts I wanted to share with people around me, with my loved ones, and oh, even with the whole world.

Therefore, when I switched to a touch screen phone, it was only natural to continue the habit of using the 26-key method.

Over the years, I have always heard that methods like Double Pinyin and Wubi are the champions of typing speed, but my mind is no longer as quick-witted, and sometimes my thinking speed is even slower than typing… So there is no need for me to learn a faster typing method.

Because I don’t understand, I sometimes fantasize about people who type with Wubi. For them, words are just codes, and as long as the codes are arranged in a specific order, the correct information can be conveyed. It sounds very rational and cold. Would their way of thinking be different?

Looking back, typing on that electronic dictionary seems to have been a waste of time. I can now finish writing this article in a few minutes, while it might have taken one or two hours on that electronic dictionary.

But in reality, I waste even more time on my phone now.

For example, writing hundreds of words for such a boring question…

Typing style is related to age, phone type, finger size, and screen size.

The relationship between age and whether someone is young or not is not significant.

From personal observation, the biggest influence is still the habit of holding a phone.

Those who frequently type in the office or at home, carry a backpack, and have relatively free hands, are all users of 26-key input.

Those who frequently type while commuting and use one hand to hold the phone for input are all users of 9-key input.

Age is only an indirect factor, not the main factor.

To summarize a few other influencing factors:

1. Whether or not they have used a non-smartphone for an extended period of time

Smartphones have only become popular for less than 10 years. My younger brother used a non-smartphone that our parents bought for him in junior high because they were worried he would play games.

He only spent 10 yuan per month, but he could use data and unlimited text messages with his classmates. Now he types extremely fast.

A firm user of 9-key input.

2. Related to Finger Thickness

I also use the 9-key layout, which is a habit I developed during the era of blueberry phones. My fingers are too thick, so I often press the wrong keys.

The more anxious I am, the more typos I make, and then I have to delete them frantically.

I’ve noticed that girls with slender fingers have a higher success rate with the 26-key layout.

Furthermore, since I often take the bus, I have one hand holding onto the handrail and the other hand supporting my phone, so I can only use my thumb to type. The 26-key layout is particularly unfriendly for thumb typing. Even though it looks like I am pressing the correct keys, the output turns out to be different characters.

On the other hand, the 9-key layout has a very high tolerance for input errors when using the thumb.

3. The Relationship between Phone and Screen Size

Another reason why I use a 9-grid layout is that I never buy a large-screen phone like the PLUS.

Because I’m not used to carrying a backpack to work, I put my phone and keys in my pocket when I go out. At home and at work, I mainly use my PC and log in to WeChat on the computer. Due to professional reasons, this allows me to receive information without frequent interruptions, making it convenient for typing.

Therefore, I generally buy phones with narrow screens and small sizes.

With a narrower screen, using a 26-key layout is nothing short of a disaster. It’s difficult to type smoothly.

On the other hand, my colleagues use a large-screen PLUS-level phone and always use a 26-key layout for input.

I’ll also mention a special case of someone who is not young but prefers a full keyboard - my mother.

When she was in school, there were no computers, so she learned to type on a typewriter.

She has a strong memory of the typewriter keyboard, so her typing speed is very fast.

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