This Will Transform The Way You Use Your iPad - iPad Pro Magic Keyboard Review

Hello and welcome to Galahad Reviews. I'm Galahad, and today, I am bringing you a review of the iPad Magic Keyboard. The first thing is going to be why the heck is this so expensive? I'm going to go through the reasons why it is so expensive, and then, I'm going to compare it to other Apple products, and then I'm going to compare it to non-apple products, and we're going to see how that price reflects based on those different criteria. Then, I'm going to go into other features that this has that other products do not have. Then, I'm going to go into the pros and cons, and then last, I'm going to talk about my conclusion. There is a lot to get through, so let's dive in.

Also, a quick note before we go too much further and you see my cinematography skills, which leave a lot to desire. The camera that I'm using is absolutely the worst at auto-focusing, so I apologize if you feel like you need an eye exam after this video. The apology is coming now instead of later. I am so, so very sorry. Anyways, without further ado, let's actually dive into the review.

All right, so the question, why the heck is the iPad Magic Keyboard so freaking expensive? I want to get this vomit-inducing point out of the way right in the beginning because it makes me gag just talking about it, but as we all know, Apple products cost a premium, so you get this elite status saying, hey, look at me, I'm super rich, or I sold my kidneys, so I could buy a magic keyboard case from Apple, and you get a certain status effect with that. I just need to get that one out of the way right at the beginning. Let's move on to more positive, less UNCLEAR notes.

With the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, you are buying an actual keyboard with full-sized backlit keys with a scissor mechanism with 1 mm of travel that are quiet. These are the same switches and keys that are used on their newest laptops. The backlit keys also work in conjunction with the light sensor on your iPad to work dynamically based on your environment. You are also buying an actual trackpad that is a piece of glass that is designed with multitouch gestures in mind with equal pressure points across the entire pad. It may be small, but I doubt you'll find a better one in a case, and you'd be really hard-pressed to even find a better one in a laptop.

This iPad Magic Keyboard case, and I use the word case here very lightly because let's be honest, you drop this, it's screwed. Like the whole thing, it's broken. You know what I mean? It's not going to survive too much of a fall because it doesn't provide that much protection. However, it does protect if you slide it into a bag, it's going to protect your iPad from getting scratched. It's pretty much all it does. The material itself, before I forget, is not the best. I would prefer to have had a lot better material on the side here, because as you can see from some of my cinematography skills that it already has a bunch of smudges and stuff like that, and I've been trying to be careful with it too. Now, I'm going to break down Apple's comparable products, so we're going to jump on over to these awesome graphics I made. Don't judge me too severely for these either, because they're pretty awful too.

Note: All prices mentioned here can change.

Anyway, the first thing that I'm talking about is the iPad Magic Keyboard. It comes in at around $99. The other keyboard that you can buy from Apple is the Magic Keyboard with the Numeric Keypad, which is going to cost you about $130 for the white version or about $150 for the black version. The second thing that you can buy is the Magic Trackpad 2, which is around $130 to $150, depending on color, or you can buy the Magic Mouse 2, which is about $80 to $100. The Smart Folio is around $79. The Smart Keyboard Folio is about $179.

As for the total cost for the most likely combination, which is the Magic Trackpad 2 and the Smart Keyboard Folio, it's around $310 to $330, depending on color. At the very cheapest that you come in at, the Smart Folio plus the iPad Magic Keyboard plus the Magic Mouse 2 is about $260 to $280, depending on the color that you buy. These prices will be slightly more for the Smart Folio and Smart Keyboard Folio for the 12.9-inch, just to let you know. Now that we have that broken down, let's break down non-Apple products and the cost for the same thing.

Note: All prices mentioned here can change.

The first thing that you'll need, obviously, is a Bluetooth wireless keyboard, which is about $20 to $50. The case itself is around $100, depending on how good of a case you get. The OtterBoxes are like $100 because they're stupid expensive, where the ones that are more akin to the protection that you're going to get with this case are probably going to be around $20. You'll also need a USB-A to USB-C adapter, which is about $10. That way, you can plug in your Bluetooth wireless mouse, which is about $30. However, this then uses your USB slot, so then you might have to buy a more expensive adapter, so you can also use your USB for other things, which can cost around $30 to $75. You will probably need a bag to put all your crap in because you can't pick up all this stuff easily and just go.

At the low end, this is going to cost you about $90, which will not be as nearly as an enjoyable experience because you're going to have to connect multiple different things and they're not going to be as high quality. A more realistic price, for what you're getting in better comparison to the iPad Magic Keyboard, is at the high end, probably about $190, which will be a more accurate experience, but it's not going to be as seamless, and it's going to be cumbersome, because once again, you have multiple devices, all of which that you have to make sure that are connected and working correctly. Then, you have to pack up all of them and turn them all off when you're done, and so on and so forth.

The question comes back, is the iPad Magic Keyboard ridiculously expensive? In comparison to other Apple products, I don't think it's actually that expensive. I think it is very competitively priced. What about non-Apple products? You're paying almost twice as much for this product. For that product you're buying, once again, the lead status of having an Apple thing, but more importantly, you're paying that price for some of the very best peripherals that you can buy on the market right now, which is an excellent keyboard and an excellent trackpad. It also seamlessly works, requires no extra hassle, and fits all together in one single package, and we haven't even gotten to the other features that it also adds that other products don't have.

Let's talk about some of the other features. The iPad attaches to a floating cantilever design via magnets, which allows for easy placing and easy removal, so you can easily go from laptop mode to tablet mode to draw on it or to use it for other things, which other cases don't allow you to do as easily. You usually have to pop it off, and it's not as user friendly and easy. The floating cantilever design of the iPad Magic Keyboard also gives you the ability to find the best angle for any given circumstance, whereas most other cases just allow you to pick between a couple of different choices. This gives it the maximum portability, as it can be used on nearly any surface.

The iPad Magic Keyboard comes with a USB-C port for passthrough charging via the three pogo pins on the back of the iPad, which could also be argued is wireless charging for your iPad, as this also frees up the USB-C port on your tablet for other things. The case doesn't have a battery, doesn't need to be charged, does need to be turned on or off as it is powered completely by the three Pogo pins from the iPad itself. Once it attaches, the keyboard seamlessly connects as does the trackpad and produces less lag than its Bluetooth counterparts. Once you remove the iPad, everything powers down and disconnects just as easily. First time setup is seamless. You place your iPad on it, and it does everything for you. You just start typing and using the mouse immediately.

Moving on to the layout of the iPad Magic Keyboard, I wish there was an actual delete key because I use that a lot when I'm doing things. There are workarounds that you can do.

Let's talk about the pros really quick. In true Apple fashion, the iPad Magic Keyboard just works. The keys feel great to type on and are very responsive. The mouse pad feels excellent. I am very picky and hate most mousepads, but this has an excellent feel. Your fingers move smoothly over it, and the clicks are crisp and just the right pressure no matter where you press. You can use the same shortcuts on the iPad as you use for the Mac. For the most part, touch controls on the mouse are intuitive. For example, if you think something should work, it usually does.

The iPad Magic Keyboard is heavy, which is actually a good thing. I know a lot of people are complaining that because this is so heavy, it's just not worth it. However, because it's so heavy, it makes it more robust, so it's not going to break as easily. It also gives a more premium feel, and it allows it to not just fall over when you place it on a desk or your lap, as the heavy part is the tablet itself, which is the opposite of a normal tablet, which means it's going to be top heavy instead of bottom heavy. The whole thing is solid. It feels quality. The hinge is stiff and snaps into place. The magnets are strong, so your device isn't going to just fall off, and this makes it ultra-portable.

Let's move on to the cons real fast. The battery drains just a bit faster than without the iPad Magic Keyboard. This is very minor. It's hard to adjust the brightness of the keyboard. It doesn't have any function keys. Mouse support still has a way to go before it feels like a true laptop, as some things that feel intuitive to do on a laptop still doesn't work well on the iPad. For example, clicking and dragging text doesn't work in Microsoft Word, but it does work in the Notepad. In the YouTube app, which I also don't think supports keyboards, you can't click Next Video panes, and you must use your finger if you're going to fast forward or rewind.

Also, sometimes the mouse doesn't register when you're trying to click something, even though you're right over it, so you either have to move the mouse and then move it back onto there, or just use your finger. When selecting a place inside of Word, it will highlight the whole word instead of where the cursor is, which then makes you have to use the arrow keys to be perfectly exact. This also is dependent on which app you're using. I also have to say that the weight is, I guess, technically negative, as the overall weight for this iPad is heavier than some of the lightest laptops. Not all apps support keyboard and mouse such as YouTube, and the scissor key switches are susceptible to dust and debris. Also, the iPad Magic Keyboard doesn't do well with liquids.

Moving on to the conclusion, the iPad Magic Keyboard is a classic Apple product in the sense that it just works, and it elevates the overall experience of an existing product, but, the cost is huge. However, in my opinion, it was worth the cost for my need, but that is a choice that you yourself will have to make. For me, I had two problems with the iPad. The first was that it was super-hard to get a comfortable position when you were using it as you either had to hold the device or put it in a case and choose one of the two positions to get in the right angle and only if it was on a hard surface. Forget about using it on your lap or while prone, and if you had to move it around a lot, it would fold into itself and usually require two hands to set it back up, so there was a huge lack of stability and portability there. This is completely solved with this new case as it takes everything that is great about a laptop and it puts it in a smaller, more compact package.

I can lay prone with the iPad Magic Keyboard and put it on my chest, or I can put it on any surface and type, and if I'm working out or fixing something while watching a video, it is easy to place and move around with one hand. The second problem that I always had was I had a hard time making it a productive device without the keyboard and mouse support. I've used my iPad as a tablet for a long time, but struggled to make it a productive device immediately and I mean immediately. Upon attaching this keyboard, my tablet went from being just a tablet to a productive machine as it feels like a laptop, but in a more compact form. Most of the apps that I use worked seamlessly with the mouse and keyboard, and I forgot that I was using a tablet at all.

So, should you buy the iPad Magic Keyboard or not? That is not up to me to decide. That is up to you to decide if you think all the pros are worth it and the cons are worth it. I do have to say that I think this absolutely transforms the iPad and its usage as being even closer to a computer, but it's still not completely there. However, when you incorporate the cost of the keyboard and the iPad itself, it comes down to about $1,100 (prices may change), which means that you can buy a pretty nice laptop for that same price. So is it worth it? That is a question that only you can decide based on your own preferences and what you're looking for out of your iPad.

That is the end of this review. Hopefully, you enjoyed it. If you liked this video, leave a like. If you disliked this video, leave a dislike. Of course, if you've been following my content for a while, please do subscribe. I will see you and your beautiful face on the next one. God bless, and see you later.