Review – Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover
Overview
Type: KeyboardsPros:
+ Design perfectly matches Apple aesthetic
+ Battery life in insanely good
+ Instant on/off works great
+ Slim design minimizes bulk
Cons:
- No adjustable viewing angle
- Keyboard is a tad small
The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is the best of its kind, and has finally become a worthy replacement for the Smart Cover. If you find yourself using your iPad for email, IM, or writing of any kind, treat yourself and pick this one up.
Packaging
The packaging for the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover definitely shows off the slim form and footprint of the device. For such a nice product, it would be nice to see a windowed front to the box to showcase the quality and sleek design, but from a purely utilitarian standpoint, the packaging is easy to open, nice to look at, and embodies no waste. Included in the box are the keyboard, instructional booklet, and USB to micro USB cable.
Build
This keyboard is built well and exemplifies high quality engineering on all fronts. The magnets used to affix the keyboard to the iPad are of the same quality as the ones Apple uses in their Smart Covers and snap into place without a thought. The back of the case is a very similar aluminum body to the back of the iPad itself, and showed no scratches even after throwing it in and out of my bag for a few weeks. When closed, the keyboard matches perfectly the design aesthetic of Apple’s iconic iPad and looks natural serving as the other half of an iPad sandwich.
When detached, the iPad sits snugly in a groove in the keyboard case that has a selectively magnetic strip that latches onto the iPad when it’s resting on its own weight, but releases when pulled forward to anticipate you wanting to remove the tablet from the stand.
Of course, being a Bluetooth keyboard, you can find a power and sync button on the side, and a charging port on the same side as the iPad’s when connected. Charging for the keyboard is via micro USB.
Performance
The keyboard works exceedingly well with the iPad. There are a whole row of iPad-specific option keys giving you options to control volume, brightness, and apps directly from the keyboard. The Bluetooth is instant-on and instant-off when the case is opened or closed, and is advertised to last six months on a single charge at two hours of use per day. I charged it the day I got it and have used it at random times and intervals and have not had to charge it at all after several weeks. That is much better performance than I get from any of my other Bluetooth devices, and certainly better than I get from the iPad itself.
As a case, the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover works well too. As mentioned before, it looks the part and certainly acts the part serving as an aluminum cover for your precious iPad screen.
Style
Available in red, white, and black, each color actually pairs well with both the black and white iPad. The aluminum back pairs perfectly with the iPad back, and the keyboard is designed to match the sleek design of the Apple laptop keyboards. The spacing of the keys feels a bit cramped but that is only because the area allowed to fit the screen size of the iPad is smaller than what I am used to on the 11″ Macbook Air.
Value
Priced at $99.99, this keyboard cover is priced as the same level as previous models from Logitech and other manufacturers. The difference is that this is the first time they keyboard cover has been done so perfectly. If you wanted a comparable keyboard and cover individually, it would run you at least this cost and you would have to drag around another accessory. You can currently find it on Amazon for around $82, which is a steal for this level of engineering and functionality.
