Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 12.9-inch

Look, the keyboard itself is fine. The keys have a nice feel, good travel, and the backlighting works well in dim rooms. The trackpad is smooth and gestures work most of the time. But honestly? This thing costs as much as an entry-level iPad. For that price I expected perfection, and there are definitely compromises. The viewing angles are limited compared to a regular laptop. You can't fold it back to use the iPad as a tablet without taking it out of the case. And the material on the outside shows fingerprints and smudges like crazy. I got mine on sale for about $280 which felt more reasonable, but at full retail price I just can't recommend it unless money is no object.

Would not recommend this product

It types. The trackpad works. It's expensive. That's pretty much it. I needed a keyboard for my iPad and this is the one Apple makes so I bought it. Not much else to say. It's fine.

Recommended

I've been using this for about two months and I'm mixed on it. The typing experience is genuinely good — probably the best keyboard case I've used on a tablet. The keys have a nice tactile feel and the backlighting is well implemented. The trackpad is also surprisingly usable for iPadOS, though it took me a while to get used to the smaller size. But here's the thing — for $349, I expect this to be a home run, and it's not. The viewing angles are way too limited. If you're someone who likes to use their iPad in different positions (on a desk, on the couch, in bed), you're going to find the fixed-angle design frustrating. You basically get two or three usable angles and that's it. Also, the material on the outside picks up every speck of dust and every fingerprint. Mine already looks kind of grubby after two months and I'm not even rough with my stuff. The weight is another issue. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is already a substantial device, and the Magic Keyboard makes it genuinely heavy. I've weighed the combo and it comes in at about 3.4 pounds, which is heavier than my girlfriend's MacBook Air M3. So the whole "iPad as laptop replacement" argument falls apart a bit when the combination is heavier and less versatile than an actual laptop. I also had an issue where the keyboard stopped responding once and I had to detach and reattach the iPad to get it working again. It only happened once so far, but it makes me nervous about long-term reliability. Look, if you have the money to burn and you really want the best typing experience on an iPad, this is it. But I honestly think most people would be better served by a good Bluetooth keyboard and a cheap stand. You'll save a couple hundred dollars and get more flexibility. I'm keeping mine because I already spent the money, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Would not recommend this product