Now, whether you want to send an email,
update a spreadsheet, or write a book; it
doesn't really matter. Having a great keyboard is gonna be the
cornerstone of being productive on your iPad Pro. But the
problem is not all keyboards are made equally. Some have
better features some have better typing experiences.
Well if you're anything like me,
you've probably run the gamut and you want to know what
the best keyboard. Well, you are in the right
place because in today's video I review my three favorite
keyboards for the iPad Pro and let you know which one
you should buy. Let's get started
What
is going on everyone? It is Mike and welcome back to Tech
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Now there are a lot of great keywords on the market today
for the iPad Pro and I think I've probably seen a majority,
if not all of them. Now we're going to focus on three
specifically and the three that we got to focus on are really
the three my three favorites. It's going to be "1" the
Inateck KB
0 2 0 1 0. Quite a name. "2" is going to be the Brydge Pro and
the "3" is gonna be the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio. Now I've
been using these keyboards anywhere between November 2018
when the iPad Pro first came out I had that
Apple Keyboard Folio. I got the Brydge Pro keyboard...
last year maybe in April or May and then I've had the Inateck
keyboard since October or November. So I've
had significant amount of time to use keyboards kind of find
their you know their weak points their strong points and
really in today's video I'm going to convey that to you.
Now I'm evaluating these keyboards on
three different dimensions. First is gonna be typing
experience which is really important.
Obviously you're buying a keyboard you want to make sure
that does have a good typing experience.
Second is going to be usability and usability is you know how
usable is it you know not just at a desk you know where I
think some people use their iPads but maybe on a couch,
maybe sitting in a chair. You know how does that change
and what's really the use of it. And the third is
going to be total size and weight. Now for those
interested I do go and take into consideration costs but
it's not a primary factor for me I'd rather pay all that more
money for a keyboard that gives a good experience.
I'm okay with that. Two housekeeping items.
First, all the timestamps are pinned in the first comment
below in case you want to jump around come back to a certain
section that's going to be in the first comment below.
Second
links to all the products I talk about today are going to
be in the video description below which are Amazon
affiliate links which means if you end up buying something
Amazon pays me a small commission that doesn't cost
you anything and really just helps the channel grow by
continuing to review great accessories just
like these keyboards. So without further ado let's
get into the keyboards. Now the first keyboard we're talking
about is the Inateck KB02010 and I know it's a crazy name.
This is forty-nine ninety-nine ($49.99) on Amazon it actually
was thirty-nine ninety-nine ($39.99) when I
first reviewed it. Now they raise the price by ten dollars
because I think it sold so well but there's a lot of value in
this keyboard in my personal opinion.
So this keyboard itself really embodies the full protection
of keyboard case. It's got significant drop protection
on the corners. it has a kickstand that flips down
giving you almost unlimited viewing angles from I think 30
to 160 degrees. it does have a detachable keyboard that
keyboard is backlit in that keyboard also has a number of
different function keys on there which end up working well
depending on what use cases you're trying to solve with
the keyboard itself. Now some of the other benefits of this
keyboard is that it does have two different places that you
can go ahead and store your apple pencil one for no once in
transport maybe in your bag or in your purse or whatever the
case is underneath the iPad in the second places be on top of
your iPad which will also go ahead and charge it.
Now the battery itself will last about six months' worth of
usage and it can be charged via a micro USB in that cable is
included inside the box. Now from a benefits perspective
the KB02010 really is the lowest cost keyboard that I've
seen in my opinion it has a really good typing experience.
the keys do have good key travel they have a nice sound
to them that's good clickability if you were there
would think of the keys are backlit there are those
dedicated function keys forty-nine dollars it does go
out and offer you good what I would call "couchability." I
think overall this is a very good keyboard especially when
you think about the cost of the keyboard itself when you
compare it against other keyboards that I have a similar
kind of full-body protection like the Logitech
Slim Folio Pro, there's obviously a lot of
value in this because at 50 bucks no compared to the
Logitech almost at twice the price this offers almost the
same functionality and at that point, it comes down to
a matter of personal preference whether you like the typing
experience on the Logitech versus the Intateck.
double the cost.
You know I can't really find any significant reason why to
buy the large over that now there are four different
drawbacks to the KB020210 that I can think of. So first is
going to be that wrist pad that is in the front of the iPad.
it doesn't come off and it can't be removed. Some people
might not care about it it might not be a big deal to you
but for me I wish it wasn't there or at least I
could remove it. So second the magnets that are on the
keyboard to make you hold it close while during transport
tend to be not as strong as it could be. Now I did mention
this in my review which if you haven't seen it all link above
in the card maybe over here or wherever the case is. third is
going to be that this keyboard itself is not available for the
eleven-inch iPad Pro so if you have an iPad Pro that
is eleven inches.
I'm sorry you're out of luck on that one. And then the
fourth is going to be that the charging mechanism or the
charging port for this is specifically going to be micro
USB so means that you carry a cable. again, not a
deal-breaker for a lot of people but I think it is
something worth noting. now the next keyboard we're and talk
through Is gonna be the brydge pro which is available for the
eleven-inch and the
twelve-point nine-inch. Now, this is ninety-nine ($99)
dollars and one hundred nineteen ($119) dollars
respectively on Amazon right now which is about a 50 dollar
discount off what it normally costs. Now I know
that brydge is releasing that bridge Pro Plus very soon in
case you didn't see that video where I was a hands-on at sea
Yes I linked it above in the card but that is going to be I
think two hundred and twenty-nine dollars ($229) so
there's a significant cost difference between that.
Now really the difference between those two is that it's
going to have an integrated trackpad.
Now that may or may not be important to you but make sure
your subscriber notifications if you want to see that review
when it drops because it will be here next week. Now this
keyboard itself really they have kind of a very distinct
feature set specifically it's all aluminum so it's a premium
design and it is quite heavy. Know the keyboard by itself is
about a pound so when you add that in with your iPad Pro if
you're using the twelve point nine inch it's
about two pounds. So it's definitely it's pretty thick.
It does offer you a limited number of viewing angles.
Right because the way that the hinge is designed you can
insert your iPad and there's enough tension in the hinge to
go ahead and tilt that your iPad any you know any number
of different degrees.
Now some people have complained about the hinge design either
scratching their iPad. Now I've been using this for about you
know I think maybe since April or May of last year and I
haven't had any trouble so we think that those examples of
either damaging the iPad are few and far between. now the
keyboard does have a twelve-month battery life and
is using Bluetooth to go out and connect to and pair
with your iPad. Now unlike the Intack, it does
have a USB C port on the keyboard to go ahead and plug
into to go out and charge and you can use the same cable that
came with your iPad. Now in terms of benefits this you know
again it's got an all aluminum design, it has a
good typing experience. in the beginning, I was having
trouble I think when typing where my finger would hit the
edge of the key cap and it wouldn't register the words
I was typing.
I haven't seen that lately. So I think it's maybe either
it's been resolved just by me learning how to type better
on that keyboard. Now conversely I would say that
the biggest downside to getting this keyboard is that the iPad
itself is not very easy to remove. Once you put it
in there now you can see that two ways. One, the iPad is
not going to fall from the keyboard which you know that's
that's a positive or two if you are someone who likes to remove
your iPad from their keyboard like I do against that so easy
but it's not hard either. The keys are not as
clickety-clack as the Intateck keyboard. They are
a little bit mushier which again I don't necessarily mind
that but it does have a good typing experience.
Now the third and final keyboard that we are going to
talk through today is Apple's own smart keyboard folio.
Now, this is available for the 11 inches and the twelve point
nine inches at one seventy-nine ($179) and one
ninety-nine ($199) respectively. There are
three distinct features on the Smart Keyboard Folio that
really separate it from the other two keyboards in a good
and bad way. So first is going to be the smart dock connector.
Now this is the only keyboard out of the three that uses the
smart dock connector which really allows your iPad to
power and pair the keyboard in just a matter of seconds.
Now there are no other keyboards that I've seen here
in the U.S. I know there's a couple that are
available in Australia, but if you know one that is available
let me know in the comments below.
because I would really do get my hands on another one
to see it. Now, second is that this keyboard itself it only
supports two viewing angles where the other ones are really
kind of unlimited. Now there are two angles. One I would say
that is more kind of for when you're maybe typing at a desk
and one I would say that you use when you are in couch mode
or you know when you're right sitting on the couch something
that's a little more relaxed. now it is ultra-thin it does
allow for easy on and off so feel to context switch from
maybe writing notes to typing at a desk. This is really
a good choice. now in terms of pros and cons one.
I really like the fact that is no power no fuss. I can stick
my head in there and start typing within a matter of
seconds that is great. Second I love the fact that I can go in
and easily context switch and pull my iPad out and put on the
desk and start you know maybe taking notes very easily.
Now the biggest pro in my opinion that I think many
people don't talk about is that the entire keyboard is going to
be fabric sealed so if you spill something on it it's not
that liquid going to penetrate the iPad or to penetrate the
keyboard and ruin it. Now in terms of cons of what I've
actually seen is at the back of the keyboard case it almost
looks like it's warped or has been burned like the way that
the material is textured it has a very funny feel to it.
It doesn't look good and unfortunately I've read that
there are a number of other people online and forums that
are experiencing the same issue. If you are one
of the people let me know in the comments below if you've
figured out what it is. So the end day the question becomes
who should buy what keyboard. And I think it really depends
on what you prioritize. really if you prioritize.
I would say typing that could do a lot typing you do a lot of
communication with it. You spend a lot of time sitting
in front of it doing a lot of typing. Really the
KB02010 is going to be the keyboard for you because it
offers I think such a better typing experience in my opinion
than the other two keyboards.
I mean you're gonna have the function keys the backlight
keys the detachable keyboard. I mean really I think at 50
dollars in comparison to the other two keyboards that are
two and four times as much almost it's going to be way
better of a choice for someone who's doing a lot of writing
with their keyboard your typing. if you
are someone who prioritizes that was a maybe higher degree
of fit and finish. Absolutely the brydge pro is
going to be the keyboard for you to get at 119 especially
now that it's on sale if you can't catch on sale it's going
to be normal I think 169. still a good deal but not as
much value at that price point.
And if you are someone who really kind of prioritizes you
know getting set up and up and going in just a matter of
moments that's where the Apple smart keyboard Folio is going
to be the best choice for you but I really want to know what
keyboard you are using in the comments below.
Let me know. I am Mike and this is tech 24/7. I'll catch
the next one.