The ipad tablet is more lượt thích a máy tính xách tay than ever before. For the ipad Pro & newest ipad Air, apple sells a breathtaking—and breathtakingly expensive Magic Keyboard case that includes a trackpad. If you think you’ve heard that name before, you have—it’s the same name hãng apple uses for its standalone công nghệ bluetooth không dây keyboards and MacBook keyboards.
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If you want a little less magic, apple also sells an ipad tablet keyboard case called the Smart Keyboard Folio. & finally, there’s the plain Smart Keyboard for the entry-level iPad & older máy tính bảng ipad Air và iPad Pro models. That means you have few Apple-branded options for keyboard cases, but as you’ll see in our comparisons below, it’s actually “smarter” lớn go for the Magic Keyboard if you can sling that kind of cash around.
Keyboard
Apple’s use of the name Magic Keyboard for its premium máy tính bảng ipad case is meant khổng lồ drive home that it’s a “real” keyboard, complete with the scissor switches you’ll find in the latest M1 laptop apple macbook Pro & MacBook Air laptops. The keys are even backlit—which is an improvement over Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the Mac—and they allow for 1mm of key travel. Below the keyboard, you’ll also find a trackpad, which is probably the main reason why you want khổng lồ buy one.
As for the Smart Keyboard and Smarty Keyboard Folio, they have no trackpad or backlighting. The keys themselves are covered in a canvas-like material that essentially makes key travel non-existent. Most of the time, typing with it feels lượt thích drumming your fingers on a tabletop.
You can get an idea of what the Smart Keyboard Folio’s keys are like here. These images also showcase the grooves we discuss in the adjustability section.
It’s still possible lớn love the Smart Keyboard Folio, particularly as the thiết kế keeps the case thin và keeps crumbs & other particles from slipping in between the keys. That (and the price) might make it more appealing if you’re often out và about with your ipad tablet Pro, but we’d still recommend spending a little more on the Magic Keyboard. If you have an ipad tablet or older máy tính bảng ipad Air that doesn’t support the Magic Keyboard, the Smart Keyboard is also a great option if you tend lớn use your ipad to vì a lot of typing.
Magic Keyboard for 12.9-inch máy tính bảng ipad Pro
MSRP:$349
Best Prices Today:$349.00 at Amazon | $349.00 at táo apple | $349.00 at Best Buy
Trackpad
Here’s an easy one: The Magic Keyboard has a trackpad & the Smart Folio Keyboard & Smart Keyboard don’t.
That’s a massive advantage in the Magic Keyboard’s favor as you’ll have to lớn hook up an external mouse or trackpad to get the same effect with a Smart Keyboard. The trackpad gestures are generally similar khổng lồ what you would use in a MacBook, but there are some iPad-specific ones as well. Be sure to kiểm tra out our dedicated how-to for more information.
The trackpad is ready for you to use gestures.
Adjustability
Like the Smart Keyboard Folio before it, the Magic Keyboard holds the ipad Pro in place with a powerful magnet. But here there’s an especially good reason for that grip. Thanks to lớn a cantilevered hinge on the Magic Keyboard, you can tilt the máy tính bảng ipad up to 130 degrees until you find the perfect viewing angle, much as you might with a MacBook. The máy tính bảng ipad itself “floats” above the keyboard, so you won’t have to lớn look down as far as you would with the Smart Keyboard Folio.
The Magic Keyboard is a bit more comfortable than the others to lớn use on a lap, but they’re all made primarily for desk use. The Smart Keyboard Folio only allows for two viewing angles, and both are pretty steep. Essentially, you just move the máy tính bảng ipad into one of two grooves above the keyboard, where it’s tightly held in place by magnets. The Smart Keyboard only has a single viewing angle and is quite uncomfortable khổng lồ use on anything but a flat surface.
Smart Keyboard Folio
MSRP:$199
Best Prices Today:$199.00 at táo apple | $199.00 at Best Buy
Ports
The Magic Keyboard has a USB-C pass-through port for charging built right into the hinge. You can only use it for charging, but on the bright side, this port frees up the USB-C port on the ipad tablet itself for any thumb drives, wired mice, or other peripherals you want to lớn hook up.
You can see the Magic Keyboard’s UBC-C charging port in this shot.
The Smart Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio have no ports, at least if you don’t count the Smart Connector that’s used lớn attach the device lớn the tablet in the first place.
Compatibility
Both models of the Smart Keyboard Folio và the Magic Keyboard case work with all models of the máy tính bảng ipad Pro made after 2018. If you want to equip your 2018 máy tính bảng ipad Pro with the new Magic Keyboard, go for it.
The situation gets trickier if you’re considering using the 2018 Smart Keyboard Folio with the 2020 or 2021 máy tính bảng ipad Pro since the cutout for the camera in the 2018 mã sản phẩm is too small for the square array found on the 2020 ipad tablet Pro. Furthermore, the 2021 12.9-inch ipad tablet Pro is slightly thicker than the previous version, though in our testing the old Magic Keyboard case works with the new model. Still, you should buy the model that fits your specific iPad.
Weight
The Magic Keyboard case is noticeably heavier than the Smart Keyboard Folio & adds quite a bit of weight to lớn the máy tính bảng ipad (1.6 pounds versus 0.89 pounds). If you’re going to lớn be carrying your ipad tablet Pro around with the keyboard, it’s definitely something to consider. With the Magic Keyboard attached, the ipad tablet Pro is closer in weight to lớn a laptop than a tablet.
Price
The Magic Keyboard costs a jaw-dropping $349 for the 12.9-inch model. For perspective, that’s more than you’ll pay for an entry-level regular iPad. The 11-inch mã sản phẩm is slightly more affordable at $299, but that’s still a hefty chunk of change.
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As for the Smart Keyboard Folio, the 12.9-inch model costs $199 and the 11-inch model costs $179, while the Smart Keyboard costs $159. That’s an attractive difference, but keep in mind that you’re really missing out on a lot of features by sticking with Apple’s older design.