I am continually testing completely different iPad circumstances. After I’m completed, I at all times return to the Logitech Combo Contact. With an adjustable kickstand and a removable keyboard, it has every part I would like. The Zagg Professional Keys 2 mimics lots of the capabilities of the Logitech accent however at a cheaper price, so I used to be excited to attempt it, pondering I could have discovered a brand new favourite. Sadly, it falls brief.
It is not utterly similar to the Logitech case—it is much more protecting, with a folio cowl that doubles as a kickstand (with adjustable angles) and a removable keyboard that sits in between. There is no trackpad—which means I’ve to pack a mouse or continually carry my finger to the display screen—and the whole setup is heavy and clunky. At $150, it is one of many extra inexpensive iPad Professional keyboard circumstances. However its flaws are annoying sufficient that the cheaper price may not matter.
Protecting however Chonky
The Professional Keys 2 I am testing is particularly constructed for the 13-inch iPad Professional (M4, 2024), although you may as well purchase it for the 11-inch iPad Professional (M4) in addition to each the 13- and 11-inch iPad Air (M2). It consists of two items: the case and the keyboard.
Click on the keyboard into place utilizing the magnets and you should utilize the iPad Professional like a laptop computer. The setup appears extra fashionable than the first-generation Professional Keys, with sq. as an alternative of spherical keycaps (which I want) and backlit—with the choice to cycle between colours like inexperienced, blue, and pink. There are lightbulbs beneath every key, so it is vivid sufficient for typing in darker environments. However components of the keyboard (just like the facet keys and performance row keys) shine brighter than the QWERTY keys, so the lighting feels uneven. Adjusting the brightness with the backlight key did not appear to make a lot of a distinction. Zagg additionally added extra floor space beneath the keyboard to relaxation your palms whereas typing.
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{Photograph}: Brenda Stolyar
It’s snug to kind on for lengthy intervals (I used it to kind this assessment), although a trackpad would have been the cherry on high, particularly since there’s loads of room (the first-gen mannequin has a trackpad model). Though I’ve been utilizing the case for a number of weeks now, I nonetheless discover myself by accident reaching towards the center to swipe an imaginary trackpad out of behavior. The keyboard is Bluetooth-connected, so that you’ll need to pair it with the iPad (you’ll be able to join as much as two units) and cost it. Zagg claims as much as one 12 months of battery life, so that you don’t have to fret about continually plugging it in.
The second-generation model has a slot on the facet for the Apple Pencil somewhat than a flap to maintain it in place. It’s much more aesthetically pleasing, however I want Zagg would’ve color-matched it to the case. As an alternative, it’s fabricated from the identical clear rubber because the bumpers across the iPad and appears low-cost. The bumper runs beneath the slot too, but it surely received’t get in the way in which of wi-fi charging.
This case feels tremendous protecting, a lot in order that it looks like lots of the rugged circumstances I’ve examined. Along with the rubber edges, the remainder of the case is fabricated from plastic with a comfortable, matte really feel. The folio cowl might be folded again right into a stand and adjusted at two angles. It was effective for watching TV (it was sturdy sufficient to remain upright on the sofa with out toppling over) and to be used as a laptop computer. Nevertheless it would not provide as many angles as a kickstand does.
