Design & Build Quality

This is the Magic Keyboard for the 12.9 inch iPad Pro or rather infamously known to be one of the most expensive keyboards you can buy from Apple. And speaking of the laptop, the iPad has always been known to outdo PC laptops and now it is not only just in the software but also with the new hardware. Onto the exterior, the entire keyboard is covered with silicone that is prone to picking up dusts and potentially scratches. It is somewhat water-resistant but I wouldn't recommend any water-intense cleaning. There is also a subtle Apple logo debossed on the back Now, the Magic Keyboard is a step up from the rather affordable Smart Keyboard Folio and it has a new design too. Now, it allows the iPad to float in midair and without any locking mechanism of any sort. The floating cantilever design uses the hundred of magnets housed under the iPad chassis to connect and hold the iPad in place and I have to report that the implementation is perfect. It holds on tight and will never fall off in the most rigorous of use cases. The Keyboard also battery-free so you don't have to charge it separately. It uses the smart connector pins from the back of the iPad Pro to draw power to power the backlighting of the keyboard. Moving towards the side, there is a single USB-C port that allows for passthrough charging but not data transfers. This in turn frees up the port on the iPad itself so you can charge up and connect your choice of drives into the iPad to get work done. Now, moving on to the keys itself, Apple boasts heavily about the 1mm of key travel it offers and I have to say that the typing experience is not too bad. If I were to compare it with the 16 inch MacBook Pro, the result and experience I got were pretty similar and I haven't faced any issues of my text not registering in the system so the keyboard issues of the past should have been fixed and stable for the years to come. The scissor-switch keys are also backlit and full-sized so you shouldn't face any issues if you are a MacBook user previously. And the best feature of the Magic Keyboard is none other than the built-in trackpad. It is nowhere near as big as something you will get on a MacBook but it works as well as the glass trackpad on the MacBook. You can click anywhere on the glass trackpad and the click will be registered. Lastly, the gestures that you use on the MacBook are also similar to the Magic Keyboard so you can go ahead and use it like a regular MacBook. Unfortunately, there isn't a row of function keys as well as an Escape button so you will occasionally still have to reach to touch the screen to change the volume or pause the music. But fortunately, you still can go ahead into settings to remap one of the buttons that you don't use to be your choice of Escape button. For my case, I like to remap the Globe button for Escape.

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Performance

Moving on to performance, the Magic Keyboard is compatible with the iPad Pro 12.9 inch and the 11 Inch variant is compatible with both the iPad Pro 11 inch as well as the new iPad Pro 11 Inch. All the settings for the Magic Keyboard can be found in the Hardware Keyboard settings. There is a list of languages to choose from as well as options for Auto-Capitalisation, Auto-Correction and the full stop shortcut. You can also adjust the keyboard brightness to your liking but the system does automatically adjust it based on the ambient lighting conditions. Lastly, in the Modifier Key section, you can remap certain keys to your use case if you like.

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Connectivity & Portability

In terms of connectivity, the Magic Keyboard draws power via the Smart Connector pins, and constantly using the keyboard will cause the iPad's battery to drain it quicker. The backlight on the keyboard will only light up when you start typing and would dim totally when you stop thereafter so as to conserve battery life. In total, the keyboard weighs 710g, which is heavier than the 641g of the iPad Pro and the full set weighs a hefty 1.3kg and is thicker than a MacBook Air. You can't open the Magic Keyboard with one hand like you can with a MacBook. Although the Magic Keyboard, in turn, could protect the iPad with front and back protection, the sides of the iPad are not protected at all so if you drop the whole set, the sides will most likely dent up and your Apple Pencil will most likely roll away since there is no holder of any sort.

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PROS​

• Cantilever Design

• Smart Connector

• Passthrough Charging

• Customizable Backlighting

• Ergonomics Viewing Angle

• Trackpad Support

• Good Key Travel

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CONS​​​

• No Function Row of Keys

• Not Water-Resistant

• No Side Protection

The Bottom Line

All in all, the Magic Keyboard for iPad is very expensive price to pay to bridges the gap between tablets and laptops but it is also the best first-party keyboard that share all the great features of a Apple Keyboard. Whether you are a writer or a creator, the Magic Keyboard does not disappoint with its excellent hardware, however it currently only comes in a single colour, Black.

WE RATE IT!

9.5/10

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Watch The Video Review