Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Review: A Better, Cheaper Alternative to the Magic Keyboard
Last month, I reviewed Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad, and I wasn’t impressed. At $300, it was a very expensive ticket to enabling keyboard and trackpad support on the already expensive iPad Pro. So I tried out the Brydge Keyboard instead, which was significantly cheaper, but didn’t include a trackpad. Then, I got something entirely new. Instead of the iPad Pro, I started using the iPad 7th generation, along with the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard. After a couple weeks, I had stopped using my iPad Pro entirely.
Be sure to check out the companion video review here:
Design
If the design of the Logitech Combo Keyboard looks familiar to you, you aren’t alone. The combination of the fabric material, the kickstand, and the magnetic keyboard seem to be a direct copy from Microsoft’s Surface line. The Combo Keyboard comes in two parts: a pretty standard-looking case that encapsulates the iPad and gives it a kickstand, and the keyboard itself, which snaps into place and connects to the iPad using 3 contact points at the bottom. Once it’s connected, it stays in place relatively well, but the keyboard will likely fall off if you don’t pick it up together with the iPad.
The kickstand is by far my favorite part of the design. As someone who doesn’t own a TV and just watches content on laptops and tablets, a tablet without a kickstand is a huge burden for me. Unlike the Magic Keyboard’s hinge, it enables many more viewing angles, and allows you to use the iPad with your knees up on the couch, wish is very convenient. It isn’t quite as sturdy as a Surface’s kickstand, but it certainly adds a lot more versatility than the Magic Keyboard.
When the iPad is in the case, with the keyboard attached, it becomes quite thick. Both the keyboard and the case are quite thick on their own, and so it’s quite a bit less comfortable to use the iPad as a regular tablet while holding onto the bulky case. The fabric-patterned surface of both is okay, if a little cheap feeling, but it will certainly hold up better than the Magic Keyboard.
Keyboard Layout and Typing Experience
Since the iPad 7th generation is a bit larger than the iPad Pro, there is slightly more horizontal space on the Smart Touch keyboard, which enables the keys to have better spacing and size. As a result, the brackets are more comfortable to use. There’s also significantly more vertical space because of the design, which allows for a dedicated control or function row. Unfortunately, the additional row cannot be used as “F” keys in programs, and can only be used for things like brightness control and media control. These are still convenient to have to reduce the number of times you have to reach up and swipe down the control center, but I can’t wait for a keyboard to add traditional F keys to the iPad.
The typing experience is really good, even if the switches don’t feel quite as good as the scissor switches on the Magic Keyboard. The keys have a lot of travel and give good feedback, and aren’t too loud. They feel more similar to Microsoft’s Surface Type Cover’s keys, but aren’t quite as good. With the spacing and the comfortable key switches, I had no problem typing longer articles on the iPad 7th generation.
Trackpad
Like the Magic Keyboard’s, Logitech’s Combo Touch keyboard includes a fully-featured trackpad that includes scrolling and gesture support. It’s smooth, responsive and consistent. I’m still not impressed with the way that iPadOS handles mouse input, but that’s not Logitech’s issue. The click mechanism is good, if not nearly as balanced as the Magic Keyboard’s. But the trackpad itself has more usable space than the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad, which makes scrolling a lot more comfortable.
Bottom Line
My Magic Keyboard experience was less than optimal, and left me with the conclusion that I wasn’t convinced with the concept of replacing my laptop with an iPad. Maybe a big reason for that was how different the design was from a traditional laptop. Logitech’s Combo Touch keyboard, on the other hand, has a design that I’ve been familiar with for almost a decade, and I love it. I started using the iPad 7th generation a couple weeks ago, and then just stopped using my iPad Pro altogether, even though I recognize the iPad Pro as a significantly better table.
At $150 for the Combo Touch, nearly half of the price of the tablet it connects to, it’s a difficult pill to swallow. But I’d be willing to take that pill any day if it means adding massive functionality to my tablet, and still being significantly less than most competent laptops.
Originally published at https://innoiso.com.
