Review similar products of Magic Keyboard for iPad that can be purchased in the $73 us range!

　Once you have an iPad, you will want a Magic keyboard. There is always an iPad with a Magic Keyboard attached at the sales floor of a consumer electronics mass retailer. However, the price of the genuine product is $317 for the iPad Pro 11 / Air, and $377 for the Pro 12, which is too expensive (the price increased by nearly $72 yen on July 1 last year).

　There have been third-party imitations for a long time, but recently it seems that imitations that look like genuine iPads that float firmly on the iPad itself have appeared. Not only that, but it's pretty cheap, so I bought it and will review it.

Index

• 1 Unpacking and appearance check
• 2 sense of use
• 3 Manual charging
• 4 Useful scenes
• 5 general comments

Unpacking and appearance check

　Although the brand name is not included, it is listed as P109. This seems to be the product name. I bought it for the iPad Pro 11 this time, but it is the same as the iPad Air 4th and 5th generation. There is also one for iPad Pro 12.9. It contained the keyboard body, charging cable, keyboard cover, instructions, and a list of keyboard shortcuts.

　I've also used Logitech's Folio Touch, but the kickstand like the Surface Pro series makes the screen far away and takes up space in the back, so this floating style is groundbreaking because it doesn't take up much space.　I will attach the iPad. The magnet is quite strong and easily sticks in place. You won't fall by mistake.

　The structure is really similar to the genuine one, and you can also adjust the angle slightly. The main design difference is the lack of the Apple logo on the back, but it still looks like you're using the Magic Keyboard.

　When closed, it becomes a case as it is. But quite thick and heavy . While the genuine Magic Keyboard is about 600g, this product is about 830g. Combined with the iPad Pro 11, it weighs about 1.3kg, which exceeds the 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air. 2cm thick at the thickest part. It sacrifices the iPad's great advantage of lightness and thinness, and I feel that it is not suitable for carrying around.　The side is not protected like the genuine one, and it seems that it will come off in the bag when the Apple Pencil is attached.

sense of use

　When you open it from the closed state, the screen of the iPad will automatically light up. Double-tap the touch-sensitive button on the top right of the keyboard to turn it on. For the first time, connect to iPad in pairing mode with Fn + C. Next time you turn on the power, it will automatically connect. It's not particularly troublesome because it's just a double tap.

　The keyboard is this size, but you can type without problems if you get used to it. Some keys are particularly small, but this is the same as the genuine product, so it can't be helped. The keystrokes are solid and the keystrokes are surprisingly deep. It doesn't feel cheap. It has a backlight so it can be used even in the dark.

　Unlike the genuine Magic Keyboard, it supports keyboard shortcuts . By pressing the Fn key and number keys at the same time, you can adjust the brightness and volume of the screen and backlight, operate the home screen, lock, media control, etc. It's very convenient because you don't have to reach for the buttons on the top of the iPad itself.

　The trackpad still feels small when using a MacBook normally. However, the sensitivity is good . It doesn't feel as good as a MacBook or Apple-approved Logitech products, but it's still very practical. It also supports gestures with multiple fingers, so you can operate it as you want with almost no malfunctions.　Unlike common physical formulas, the upper part can not be pressed, and it responds firmly wherever you press it.

　It also supports trackpad settings, so you can adjust the speed of the trajectory and turn on/off "tap to click (no need to press)".　It's a Bluetooth connection, not via Smart Connecter. The keyboard doesn't give you any lag, but the trackpad is a little annoying if you use it quickly.

Manual charging

　Unlike genuine products and Logitech, it does not support automatic connection / charging via Smart Connector, so it is necessary to charge with a USB Type-C cable separately. However, the battery life is long, and it claims to last up to 80 hours with the backlight off. In fact, it decreased by 1% after about 30 minutes of continuous use. This doesn't seem like it would take much time.

　With the genuine Magic Keyboard, the pass-through charging function of the USB Type-C port on the left side of the keyboard allows you to charge the iPad itself via the Magic Keyboard and connect it to a USB hub etc. with the USB Type-C port of the iPad itself. However, the port of this product is only for charging the keyboard itself, so it cannot be done, and there is no advantage that it is easy to charge from both the left and right sides.

convenient scene

　I thought the iPad didn't need a keyboard or trackpad, but it's certainly useful for certain tasks. For example, browser-based work such as blog writing represented by WordPress and Canva (image editing). Since it is designed to be used on a PC, it is difficult to operate with touch, but if you use this product, you can work with a feeling similar to that of a PC. In fact, much of this article was comfortably written using the product.

　In addition, since the display is too large by default, it is recommended to set the page enlargement / reduction to 85% from the Safari settings.

　Also, Office apps are easier to operate with a keyboard and trackpad. The software keyboard occupies the lower half of the screen, so it's good for just typing, but it gets in the way when doing complex editing. You can use the screen more by using an external keyboard.

　Live conversion is usable like Mac and is comfortable. You can type faster once you get used to it. Keyboard shortcuts can be used not only in Safari, so you don't have to choose conversion candidates, and you can operate quickly and conveniently. Cursor movement, which is difficult to do with touch, is easy with the arrow keys.

　However, for normal application use other than these (browsing, Twitter, watching videos, etc.), neither a trackpad nor a keyboard is required. Touch operation is faster because it is optimized for small tablet screens.

　It's difficult to use when playing games or writing with a pen, so you'll have to remove it, but it's a magnet, so it's easy to put on and take off.　It's certainly suitable for some people who often do PC-like work on the iPad, but I don't think it's necessary.

Overall review

The price was $80  (2022/8/13) 　for iPad Pro 11 / Air on Rakuten Ichiba , which is more than $217 cheaper than the genuine product ! Also available in white and blue.

　At this price, the structure is just like the genuine Magic Keyboard and can be easily attached and detached with a magnet. The trackpad and keyboard are also high quality, so if you're considering buying a Magic Keyboard, I feel this is enough .

　It's a pity that it is very heavy, but for example, if you used to carry a MacBook and an iPad, you can lighten about 500g by using only the iPad and this product, so it depends on how you use it. Also, it seems better to think carefully about whether you need a keyboard and trackpad in the first place.