At the end of March, Apple announced the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, and iPad fans the world over rejoiced at the prospect of a first-party solution to their years-long productivity problem. Those of us who use the iPad as our primary device (the mythical “laptop replacers”) have longed for the ideal keyboard-case that brings it as close to the laptop form factor as possible without abandoning what makes the iPad an iPad. I received my 11” Magic Keyboard on Wednesday, and have been using it for the last two days to send emails, edit work documents, conduct Zoom meetings, watch Netflix, and write this post. Even in that short time, it’s clear that the Magic Keyboard is Apple adeptly striking the delicate balance between portability and performance...at an unfortunately uncompromising price point of $299.

Priced by the Pound

The most noticeable trait of the Magic Keyboard is its heft. Even before opening the slim and unassuming UPS packaging, it felt like I had received a plate of lead in the mail. It’s an incredibly dense device, with much of the weight concentrated in the keyboard‘s base to offset the weight of the iPad in it’s floating cantilevered perch. In fact, the 11” Magic Keyboard weighs more than the iPad Pro it is designed to hold by ~130 grams. My wife and I tried to compare her 2013 13” MacBook Air to my 11” iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard by feel and had a very difficult time determining which felt heavier (turns out, the Air is heavier by ~270 grams). I’ve definitely struggled to get used to the substantial increase in weight from just the Smart Folio to the Magic Keyboard encasing my iPad — however, given my current lack of mobility due to COVID-19, I find it hard to assess how much this will bother me. I think I won’t really know how I feel about the added weight until I am out and about with my iPad again.

The center of gravity on the iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard is so far back that the entire keyboard can float off an edge.

Other than the physical weight of the device, the overall build quality is excellent — a firm keyboard deck with essentially no flex, a sturdy hinge that almost takes too much force to adjust, and much stronger magnets securing the iPad than those found in the Smart Folio. The USB-C passthrough port on the barrel hinge is an excellent addition to this keyboard, finally allowing us to charge our iPads without unattractively dangling a wire from the iPad’s USB-C port — not to mention that it frees up the USB-C port on the iPad for a storage drive or other USB accessory.

The Keys to Success

The main draw of the Magic Keyboard is, well, the keyboard, and I’ll get right to the main takeaway: These keys are fantastic. Gone are the somewhat-mushy, fabric-covered butterfly switches of the Smart Keyboard Folio — these are full scissor switches with backlighting to boot. Typing on this keyboard feels almost more tactile than typing on other scissor switch keyboards in the MacBook line — I only have my wife’s somewhat-old 13” Air to test with, and the Magic Keyboard’s keys feel far more resistive and bouncy (though I admit this may be due to the age of our control group). The adaptive (and manually-adjustable) backlighting is an excellent addition to what is frankly an impressive keyboard for its size and thickness. I will say that some of the periphery keys feel too cramped and small to consistently hit — count how many dashes I’ve used so far and assume at least half of them involved me missing the tiny half-sized dash key. But even after just a short time of using the Magic Keyboard, I’m beginning to acclimate to those half-sized keys and my accuracy is improving rapidly.

The Magic Keyboard is hands-down the best portable keyboard for the iPad Pro on the market.

The trackpad of the Magic Keyboard is as excellent as you’d expect from Apple — though a bit shorter than I’d prefer. The trackpad clicks mechanically across the entire surface area — no haptics, actual clicks. And the substantially improved cursor support in iOS 13.4 paired with the fluid gestures built into the hardware makes navigating iPadOS a breeze. My only complaints about the trackpad are its size (which I can get over), and that some of my most-used gestures require three fingers — like swapping quickly between recent apps. Would some customizability in the system gestures be asking for too much?

My previous iPad keyboard of choice was the Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard — obviously optimizing for portability. The scissor switches of the Magic Keyboard are infinitely more pleasant than the chicklet style keys you may recognize from Microsoft’s Surface line, and the complete lack of key spacing on the Microsoft foldable keyboard means the 2.75mm of key spacing found on the Magic Keyboard feels almost luxurious to me. And considering the Magic Keyboard also comes with a trackpad too, it’s really no contest. Apple‘s recent struggles with keyboard problems seem to be blessedly behind them; much like the new keyboard in the 16” MacBook Pro, this keyboard feels like a return to the durable and reliable keyboards of years past.

A Pivotal Component

The keyboard is excellent. The weight may tilt the scales, but it’s too early to tell. Now to consider the hinge. As previously mentioned, it is an impressively stiff mechanism — I almost wish less force was needed to adjust the angle of the iPad between minimum and maximum tilt. That said, opening the iPad from closed to almost the maximum tilt angle is possible with one hand (though a little jiggling is necessary to get the keyboard to flop open). Unfortunately, that max tilt angle seems just shy of what I would consider ideal for some of my go-to workspaces. It’s adequate in most positions, like on a lap and even most desks — but I’m fairly tall and also like to use my iPad while standing at counters and other places where more tilt range would be appreciated.

The integral USB-C passthrough port is a welcome addition to the Magic Keyboard’s feature list.

I have found that the lower screen angles (even at the < 90° angle the barrel hinge snaps to before tilting) have been useful when watching shows in bed with my wife. The Smart Folio has been decidedly mediocre in this task, so having a way to suspend the iPad screen at an acute angle is actually more useful than I previously thought. In fact, I think what I’ve appreciated most regarding the hinge so far is it’s overall improvement in stability compared to the Smart Folio. It seems obvious, given that the Magic Keyboard has a much larger base to rest on than the triangular origami tent of the Smart Folio, but that extra stability has really made a difference. The Magic Keyboard’s powerful magnets, heavy base, and rigid hinge make tapping on the screen or adjusting the volume feel like pressing on a wall.

The Bottom Line

It’s pretty apparent that this is the best iPad typing experience on the market that still preserves the iPad’s portability and flexibility — switching from “laptop mode” to “tablet mode” is as easy as grab-and-go. The set of tradeoffs presented with the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro are, in my estimation, a precise threading of the needle. It’s heavy, but not too heavy. The iPad remains solidly grounded when typing, yet fluidly freed when needed. And the value added by the backlit scissor switch keyboard far exceeds the cost of weight, thickness, and managing form-factor transitions...

...However, I’m not sure the value exceeds the monetary cost of the Magic Keyboard. Retailing for $299 (+tax!) in-essence means this keyboard case is worth nearly 50% of the iPad it holds, and almost twice as much as the Smart Folio Keyboard it ostensibly replaces. My purchase was largely rationalized by Apple’s currently-extended return policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic (and I seem to have persuaded others with this logic), but I’m still unsure if I plan to keep the Magic Keyboard or not. In my opinion, this product should have retailed at $199 and the Smart Folio Keyboard should have slid down to $129 — the price floor to have an excellent typing experience on the excellent iPad Pro is just too high. This is a fantastic keyboard, and very nearly every aspect of its design and function is praiseworthy — I just wish that it came with a less discouraging price tag. Since the debut of the iPad Pro, many have discovered how capable and enjoyable the "iPad lifestyle" can be — Apple should prioritize reducing the monetary barrier to entry to what I consider their highest-potential product line.

Editor's note: At some point while writing this article, the Universal Foldable Keyboard has been removed from Microsoft's online store. I think they may have discontinued the product, though you can still find used ones online.

When you chose to replace your laptop with an iPad Pro, you are instantly faced with additional decisions to make and trade-offs to weigh. One such decision is what keyboard you plan to use with your iPad, and the trade-offs involved are many. Do you favor the slimness, portability, and feel of Apple's Smart Folio Keyboard? Do you prefer a more stationary yet more beautiful option like Matt Gemmell's favored WASD mechanical keyboards? Personally, part of why I enjoy using the iPad Pro as my primary device is its slimness and portability, which means those factors weigh heavily on my choice of keyboard. However, I can't stand the Smart Folio Keyboard. It's keys feel like mush to me, and the way the new design looks while folded — keys facing out for the world to see? Disgusting.

My current keyboard of choice is Microsoft's Universal Foldable Keyboard. I had never heard of this product until I saw a fellow student in a lecture hall using it with his iPad Pro, and immediately knew I had to give it a try. At the time, I was using Apple's Magic Keyboard as my daily driver, so I'll be primarily using that as a benchmark in this review.

Prioritizing Portability

As you might guess, the very fact that I am using a foldable keyboard means that I’m a big fan of compactness — and the Microsoft's Universal Foldable Keyboard really hits this mark. It takes up an incredibly small space for what unfolds to be a full-sized keyboard, all while compromising very little on overall quality of life. While folded, the Universal Foldable Keyboard is about the same thickness as the larger side of the Apple Magic Keyboard — but with half the footprint. In addition, this unique folding design also allows for a unique pairing system: Unlike the Magic Keyboard (which needs to be physically turned on and the keys mashed to pair), the Universal Foldable Keyboard is automatically powered-on and paired when you unfold it. The logic behind this is so obvious when you think about it, but the best comparison I have for this intuitive implementation is the same magic that AirPods have — the action of taking the device out automatically gets it ready for use.

The Universal Foldable Keyboard is about as thick as the Magic Keyboard when folded, but takes up half of the space.

The crucial design element that enables its compact form factor is a split keyboard layout. There is a physical gap between each half of the keyboard (between 6 and 7 on the number line) that creates a crease where the thin leatherette material can fold in half. This design choice significantly changes how you type while using the Universal Foldable Keyboard, and it really does take a while to get used to. When I first purchased the keyboard and gave it a test run, it felt like I was back in 2nd grade learning how to type using the home-row. However, after a few days of frustrating practice with the split layout, I was back to my usual typing speed.

Design and Build

Overall, the Microsoft Universal Keyboard has excellent build quality. The chicklet keys feel very much like the ones on Microsoft’s Surface Pro line, and even in this slim design have excellent key travel and tactile feel. The leatherette exterior lining of the keyboard is pleasant to the touch and claims to be “moisture resistant” (though I can’t say I have tested this myself). According to Microsoft, the battery should last three months of regular use, comparable to the Magic Keyboard's quoted battery life. Unfortunately, the Universal Portable Keyboard charges via MicroUSB, adding another cable to my every-day-carry.

Microsoft’s Universal Foldable Keyboard includes media control keys and a toggle between two paired Bluetooth devices.

The keys themselves are full-sized, with very little spacing between them — habitual users of the Magic Keyboard might initially notice that the keys feel cramped in comparison, but I quickly got used to the tightly packed arrangement. As this is a universal keyboard, Microsoft includes an “Alt/Option” key, a “Fn/⌘ Cmd” key, and a toggle that allows you to indicate which operating system you are using (iOS, Android, or Windows) — which, importantly, impacts what keyboard shortcuts are recognized by the device you are using.

Of note, the Microsoft Universal Keyboard can be simultaneously paired with two devices at once via Bluetooth, and has hardware keys dedicated to toggling between each device. This is especially useful when multitasking with both my iPad and my iPhone — I can by writing an article in Ulysses on my iPad and quickly toggle the keyboard to my iPhone to respond to an iMessage conversation without lifting my hands from the keyboard. I could easily see many users pairing this keyboard to both a Mac/PC and an iPad to eliminate the need for two keyboards at a desk.

The keyboard also comes with hardware Home, Search, and Lock keys; though I typically use ⌘+H for Home and ⌘+Space for Search on my iOS devices. The Lock key aside, I would much rather this real estate be dedicated to what this keyboard is lacking, specifically a hardware Siri key (like the popular Brydge Keyboard has) and the “Eject” key found on Apple’s Magic Keyboard. I can hardly fault Microsoft for not integrating Siri directly into its universal keyboard, but I do sorely miss the Eject button when I am using the keyboard and want to quickly bring up a software keyboard like Yoink or the Emoji keyboard. Although Ctrl+Space does allows you to scroll through software keyboards on iOS, I’ve had mixed luck with this command actually ejecting the keyboard on the screen. My current solution (when I’m feeling lazy) is to use the Bluetooth device toggle to disconnect the keyboard from my iPad, resulting in the software keyboard ejecting as expected.

Final Comments

Overall, I’ve greatly enjoyed switching to the Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard as my go-to device for working on my iPad. The nature of my workflow means that portability carries a high premium, making the small size of this keyboard a huge win. What I enjoy most about the iPad Pro is its flexibility — in one moment it can be a glass slate for capturing ideas with the Apple Pencil, and in another it can be propped up with a folded Smart Folio and instantly paired with a keyboard I just slipped out of my bag. Although the Magic Keyboard allowed me to do this as well, the small reductions in friction allowed by the Universal Foldable Keyboard’s unique pairing strategy combined with being 50% the physical size makes it an easy winner, even in spite of my minor complaints.

Over at MacStories, Federico Viticci and Ryan Christoffel have started a new podcast on RelayFM called Adapt — a podcast entirely dedicated to their love of the iPad. A key element of this new podcast are the "challenges" that the hosts give each other to stretch the boundaries of what they can do on iOS (iPadOS? This transition is going to be difficult). Since I also consider my iPad Pro my primary productivity device, I've decided to participate in the challenges presented on each new episode of Adapt. In episode one, Ryan challenges Federico to add a third-party iOS keyboard to his workflow, so I've done the same by trying out Yoink's third-party iOS keyboard for the first time.

Yoink is a clipboard manager/"shelf" app for iOS and the Mac that allows you to store snippets of text, URLs, images, and even files for easy access when you need them. Although the app itself is fully-featured and incredibly useful, I'll primarily be focusing on it's third-party keyboard integration in this article.

The Keyboard for All of Your Content

Yoink the app and the third-party keyboard both serve the same basic purpose: to deliver content you need to where you need it. If you frequently use a large snippet of text, you can store it in Yoink for easy access. If you're constantly sharing the same file with a team, toss it in Yoink and it'll always be handy. If you regularly send the same meme, well, you get the picture. Prior to using Yoink, I had never used a snippet manager of any kind (such as the ever-popular Text Expander) — but after using Yoink's third party software keyboard for a couple of weeks, I'll never be able to go back. Even though my current snippet collection is relatively small, Yoink and its software keyboard have already saved me enough time and energy to justify the one-time purchase price of $5.99.

My primary use-case for Yoink's software keyboard has been text snippets. As part of my work I have to access the same app on my iPad Pro upwards of 20 times a day, and due to the nature of the app, a specific URL needs to be entered every time (in addition to traditional login credentials). Although only about 25 characters long, typing in this URL is often the most tedious part of my day. Thanks to Yoink's software keyboard, this repetitive headache has been completely eliminated — now I can simply two-finger-tap the appropriate text snippet and the text field is auto-filled with the URL. Yoink also supports drag-and-drop on the iPad, but in most situations I find the two-finger tap to be faster.

Quickly inserting a snippet into a text field is easy with drag-and-drop or a two-finger tap on iPad.

I also moderate a few subreddits, so sending canned responses using Yoink's software keyboard to common rule violations or lost Redditors has been a big time-saver as well. The snippets can be modified to include Markdown formatting as plain-text, which Reddit quickly translates into its "Snoodown" format — catching all of the URLs and subreddit links I want to include.

Using Yoink to quickly send canned responses on subreddits I moderate is another useful timesaver.

As I mentioned above, Yoink is definitely not limited to just text snippets — images, files, or any other attachments you can think of can just as easily be accessed from Yoink's software keyboard. Though I haven't found a file or image I send frequently enough to justify keeping it in Yoink, I ran a quick test with a picture of our dog. As expected, accessing the image was just as fast as using the Photos iMessage app, but without the need to find the image since it was already stored in Yoink. Just tap the image or file to copy, and paste it into the iMessage text field to send.

Sending images and files with Yoink’s software keyboard is a breeze — just copy and paste.

Opportunities for Improvement

Although Yoink is already an incredibly feature-rich app, I have some suggestions for further improving its software keyboard. First and foremost: Please, for the love of God switch the position of the Device Switcher and the Keyboard Switcher ("Globe" icon) on the iPad — I still habitually tap the sample location to quickly switch between software keyboards, and this tiny difference ruins that process. Quite honestly, all software keyboards should be required to place the Keyboard Switcher icon in the same space to avoid this confusion. It's just the decent thing to do.

Second, a feature I found while searching the app store for other third party keyboard options was a system for postioning the cursor after a text snippet is inserted — for example, if the text snippet says:

The quick ** fox jumps over the lazy dog

it would be nice if Yoink could recognize the two asterisks and automatically place the cursor in between them and delete them from the snippet. This sort of "placeholder" text for the cursor would make some of my snippets even more useful, as currently I have to manually place the cursor in areas of the text that need individual customization after pasting. Obviously, the placeholder characters would need to be considered carefully to not break existing text snippets, but I think this feature has some serious potential.

Adapt Challenge #1, Evaluated

Although I didn't look much further than the show notes to find a software keyboard for the first Adapt Challenge, trying out Yoink was definitely worth my time. I am a little late to the game when it comes to using snippet manangers on iOS, but I think Yoink has just the right level of complexity for my needs. Although it lacks some of the features of more robust software (Text Expander again being the prime example), all I really need in my snippet manager is to quickly paste words into a text field. Yoink covers these needs quite well, despite my wishes for custom cursor placeholders to be added.

Since downloading Yoink for the purposes of this challenge, I've quickly adopted it into my workflow and often use it multiple times a day. Seamless storage and insertion of frequently-used text snippets makes Yoink an incredibly useful app for just about anyone using an iPad or iPhone to get things done.