- If you're looking for a new keyboard case
for your brand-new iPad Pro with M1,
then I have two great options.
I have the Apple iPad Magic Keyboard
and I have the Logitech Combo Touch.
So how do they compare?
I am Jerry.
And before I get to the differences
between the iPad Magic Keyboard
and the Logitech Combo Touch,
I wanted to cover some of the questions that I got
after doing my initial unboxing
of this Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard for iPad Pro.
And by far, the biggest question that I got is,
does it work with the previous 12.9 inch iPad Pros?
So let me just answer that.
And yes, this right here is the 2018 iPad Pro
sitting inside the Logitech Combo case
built for the 5th generation 12.9 inch iPad Pro.
And as you can see, it fits just fine.
It's in there, it's secure, it's not going anywhere.
It takes some force to get it out of the case
just like the newest version, the 12.9 inch iPad Pro.
So you should feel confident
in knowing that it does fit in here.
But there is one thing that I want to mention,
and that is the speaker holes.
So looking through the case,
you can see the speaker holes on the iPad Pro,
but when you actually remove the case
you'll see that the speaker grills
on the previous generation iPad Pros
are actually a little bit wider than what's on this case
for the 5th generation iPad Pro
because the speaker grills on the newest iPad Pros
are not quite as wide as these are.
Now, I did test with the case and without the case
and I was unable to determine
or hear a difference in the sound coming out of the iPad
when it was in this case
and some of these holes were blocked.
So yes it does fit.
It may partially obstruct the sound of the speakers
but I did not notice any difference.
So another question that I got
about this Logitech Combo case was,
did it block the bottom microphone hole
on the bottom of the iPad Pro?
So if you look, there is another microphone hole
on the bottom of the iPad Pro.
And when you put it in this Logitech case,
there's actually nothing to allow sound really into there.
There's a little indentation
where I guess the microphone would sit,
but there's nothing really on the bottom of the case
to let sound in.
So let me do a test real quick
and see if that sound is actually blocked
or if it distorts the sound of the microphones in any way.
All right, so this is me recording sound
with the bottom hole of the 2021 iPad Pro uncovered.
So this is the full array sound,
the full studio quality mic array,
whatever that's in the iPad Pro.
This is how it sounds without any obstruction on the bottom.
Now the same iPad
is sitting inside of the Logitech Combo Touch case
and the bottom microphone hole is obstructed.
So is there any sound difference between this configuration
and when the iPad is outside of the case?
Let me know below what you think.
Is there any difference?
Can you tell a difference?
Is one better than the other?
And the third question that I got a few times was,
can I use this case since it detaches from the keyboard?
Can I use this with the iPad Magic Keyboard?
And the answer is no.
One, there's no pogo pins on the back
for the keyboard to actually get through
to talk to the iPad
while it's sitting inside the case portion
of the Logitech Combo Touch.
And two, there's no magnets on the back of this case
for it to actually hold onto.
And then three, there's actually no way
that this thing would close.
It's just way too thick.
So those are the three biggest questions.
Now onto the comparison between the iPad Magic Keyboard
and the Combo Touch.
All right, so the first thing I want to talk about
is the design differences
between the iPad Magic Keyboard
and the Logitech Combo Touch.
Now, the iPad Magic Keyboard
is more of a keyboard attachment
than it is a case really, for the iPad.
Of course, the iPad can fold flat and sit inside there
and you can carry it around altogether,
but there is no protection on the sides
like you would get with from some other things like
what we're gonna talk about in just a minute.
The iPad Pro sits very securely connected
to the iPad Magic Keyboard,
and I've never had an issue with it
popping off of here accidentally
except when I was trying to adjust the angle
from the bottom.
So really, if you're gonna be adjusting the angle
you do it from up here
and you'll have no issues with the thing coming off of here.
If you've never used one, the iPad Magic Keyboard
is made out of this rubbery material that does a good job
of keeping the iPad sitting on a desk
without sliding around.
It has some grip to it.
And it feels good when it's brand new.
The case does pick up a lot of oil, and grime,
and other things from sitting out on tables
or whatever is in your hands,
and you can wipe it off for a while, but after a while,
those stains actually start
to embed themselves into the material.
And that's why you'll see that, on this case,
I'm actually using a skin from SopiGuard
that I like a lot.
And I think that it makes the iPad Magic Keyboard
a bit more rugged.
The Logitech Combo Touch
is a completely different keyboard device.
It is more of a case and keyboard combo device.
So the iPad actually sits inside of this case
just like it would like some other third-party silicone case
or something like that for the iPad.
And it actually offers protection on all of the sides,
of course leaving room for the Apple pencil.
And on the backside, there is a kickstand,
so just like on the Microsoft surface devices.
You have a kickstand, so you can actually place it down
and adjust the angle quite far really, wherever you want
to get just the proper angle that you're looking for.
The keyboard on the Logitech Combo Touch is detachable.
So this is a great feature
and allows you to actually detach the iPad from the keyboard
reducing the weight
and allow you to use the iPad with protection
while on a couch or doing something else
when you want to use it in a tablet form,
versus with the iPad Magic Keyboard,
if you want to use it without the keyboard
you have to pop it off,
but then you have no protection and you're using the device
at risk of drops and dings and things like that
if you do have an accident.
To connect the iPad back to the keyboard,
it automatically connects with magnets
and of course passes through those same connections
for the smart connector
so that the iPad can work with the keyboard.
One other way that you can use
the Combo Touch in tablet mode
is to disconnect the keyboard, flip it around, re-attach it,
and put around back.
And then you have a nice sturdy base for the iPad to sit on
that's gonna be completely protected of course,
from whatever you set it on,
and you don't have to worry about losing the keyboard
because it's still attached.
The material on the Logitech Combo Touch is like
Logitech's been using on a couple of other of their cases.
And it's a nice textile feel.
It almost feels like jeans or something.
And it's very easy to clean.
I've gotten stuff on the previous generation cases
with the same material
and had no issues wiping it off, cleaning it,
and it just doesn't retain the grime and the oil
like the rubbery material on the iPad Magic Keyboard does.
Now, as far as the weight of these two devices,
the Combo Touch comes in at around 780 grams
with the keyboard attached
versus the 710 grams of the iPad Magic Keyboard.
Of course, if you detach the case from the keyboard,
you're gonna lose all of that weight to the keyboard
and you're gonna hold it in your hands
and it's gonna be much lighter, much easier to use
than always having that keyboard attached.
With the iPad Magic Keyboard, you just detach it,
you don't have the added weight of the case
or anything else, it's just the iPad,
although you don't have any protection.
Now, as far as angle adjustments
on these two keyboard accessories for the iPad Pro,
the Combo Touch actually has a wider variety of angles
that you can choose from.
You can go down to almost flat
and use it as like a writing surface or an easel almost,
but it can also come up quite a bit
and sit not quite vertically.
But the iPad Magic Keyboard can sit full vertical
or even tilt it a little bit forward.
And believe it or not, this is actually useful
if you're using your iPad in bed
and you have this sitting on your stomach
and you're looking up at the iPad.
I've used this angle more than once.
And then of course the iPad Magic Keyboard
can go back to there, which is,
I don't really know how many degrees that is,
but it works in most situations,
but it definitely does not go as far back
as the Combo Touch does.
Now, because the Combo Touch uses that kickstand design,
the footprint required for the Combo Touch
is actually much, much larger than it is
for the iPad Magic Keyboard.
Now, I have both iPads set to about the same angle.
The maximum for the iPad Magic Keyboard
and then trying to match that as closely as possible
with the Combo Touch.
With the iPad Magic Keyboard,
you're looking at a depth of about nine and 1/8 inches.
But for this same angle on the Combo Touch,
you're looking at about 15 inches that's needed for depth
for the Combo Touch.
So you do get a wider angle range with the Combo Touch
but you have to account for that footprint.
How much space are you gonna have?
How much space do you have on your lap?
How much space do you have on your desk?
Let me just say something else about the hinges real quick.
The hinge on the iPad Magic Keyboard
is nice and sturdy and stiff.
When you put it in the place where it's gonna go,
it's not going anywhere.
It feels really good.
Even after more than a year
of constantly moving it back and forth,
it still feels really, really good.
The hinge on the Combo Touch
does not feel as good as the hinge on the Magic Keyboard.
It comes up and it feels rigid enough
that it's not gonna go anywhere once it's sitting,
but it does feel almost like you're bending
and not pivoting on a hinge a little bit.
And there is a magnet that kind of pops the back of it down
when you get close, so holds it in place.
But it's really...
It's hard to explain.
But it just does not feel as good
as the hinge on the iPad Magic Keyboard.
As far as the keyboards go,
they are so much closer than I imagined that they would be.
When I close my eyes and type on these,
I can't tell any difference between these two keyboards.
They both have a one millimeter travel distance.
They both sound really good.
And honestly, they just both feel really good to me.
Both of these keyboards are backlit
and that's controlled by the ambient light sensor
built into the iPad itself.
Now the keyboard on the iPad Magic Keyboard
is partially covered over by the iPad itself
when it's fully tilted backwards,
more so on the 11 inch, but also on this 12.9 inch version.
And sometimes I do find myself hitting the bottom
of the iPad with my fingers when I'm typing
just because of the way I type and move my fingers.
You don't have that issue on the Combo Touch
because the iPad is pushed all the way back
off the keyboard.
But what you do get with the Combo Touch
is that whole function row.
And, oh my gosh is that function row nice
after not having anything like that for the last year plus
with the Magic Keyboard.
You do have that quick access Home button
to get to the Home screen or get to the Multitasking window.
You do have the volume to raise the volume
or lower the volume of the iPad Pro.
You can adjust the screen brightness.
You can adjust the brightness of the keyboard backlight.
You have Play/Pause.
And you can bring up your onscreen keyboard,
and it does a really good job.
And of course, you can lock it.
Now, not having that function row
is not a deal breaker for a lot of people
because you can just use the Command keys
to do different things like Command + H to go home,
or you have the volume buttons up here,
or to put the thing to sleep you can hit the power button,
of course that's right there at your fingertips,
or you can hit Command + Option + Q
to put the iPad to sleep just like on a Mac.
The trackpad on both of these devices is very similar.
They both are multitouch,
they both have the exact same gestures
to get around the iPads.
And I don't know if it's glass on the Combo Touch
like it is on the iPad Magic Keyboard,
but they feel very similar.
The iPad Magic Keyboard was great
because you could touch anywhere on the trackpad
to push down because it wasn't a diving board mechanism.
Well, now the Combo Touch does the same thing.
You can actually click anywhere you want on the trackpad
and it will register.
But what's nice about the Combo Touch
is that the trackpad is actually quite a bit bigger.
It's bigger in both the width and the height,
and it's just a little bit easier
to do multi-finger gestures on this larger trackpad
than it is on the iPad Magic Keyboard.
Now, one thing that's different between these two devices
is the USB-C ports.
And the iPad Magic Keyboard
gives you full unobstructed access to the USBC port
on the iPad Pro because it's just not covered.
The Combo Touch case is, well, it's a case,
and it covers a majority of the outside of the iPad.
And it does cause some issues with some USB-C cables
or Thunderbolt cables.
So something to be in mind
that you may not have a cable that fits
or the cable you have may not fit
and you may need to get a different type of cable
to make sure you can actually charge this.
It does work with some of the anchor cables I have,
it does work obviously with the Apple charging cable
that the iPad comes with,
but I have found some like the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 cable
does not fit in there.
The iPad Magic Keyboard
also has that second USB-C port for charging.
So you can always leave your case plugged in if you want
and then you can attach additional accessories
via the Thunderbolt port on the side.
Now that's not as easy
as being able to just plug everything in here
and have power and Thunderbolts for storage
and display out and things like that
through the bottom side of the iPad,
but the fact that you do have the option to charge it
but then also have another accessory,
maybe it's just an SD card reader, whatever,
it's nice to be able to have that option.
So I think that's about it for comparison
of the iPad Magic Keyboard and the Logitech Combo Touch.
Both of these devices are great.
They both have their purpose.
I think the iPad Magic Keyboard,
although it lacks some of the features of the Combo Touch
like the function row,
and the additional angles that you can expand it,
and the extra protection,
it really does what it does really well.
It just focuses on being a keyboard for the iPad
and having a good touchpad.
The Combo Touch on the other hand
does offer those things that the iPad Magic Keyboard doesn't
like more of a case protection,
more angle adjustments with the kickstand,
a bigger trackpad, function rows on the keyboard,
and the ability to just detach it and still have protection
without the added weight of the keyboard.
And it does come in at a much lower price
at 229 for the 12.9 inch version
versus $349 for the 12.9 inch version
of the iPad Magic Keyboard.
So what do you guys think?
Does the simplicity and the smaller footprint
of the iPad Magic Keyboard
make more sense for your use case?
Or would you rather have the protection
and the added benefits of things like the function rows
on the Logitech Combo Touch?
Let me know below.
If you want to know more
about why I put a skin on the iPad Magic Keyboard,
definitely check out this video right over here.
Hit the thumbs up button if you liked it,
hit Subscribe if you want.
And I'll see you next time.