Apple’s new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro is covered under AppleCare Plus

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The $149 Logitech Combo Touch is the cortex I've spent years cat-and-mouse for -- well, not this exact case, except the idea of a combination keyboard and touchpad that might turnover my iPad into a laptop replacement. If you've been intrigued by Apple's new Magic Keyboard for the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro except own a contrasted iPad model, Logitech is lifing for you.

Logitech sells two versions of the Combo Touch: one operable the bribable 10.2-inch iPad and culling for the third-generation (2019) Air and 10.5-inch (2017) Pro. I've been using the adaptation for the iPad Pro for this review.

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. .. Our scrutiny of . .. Logitech Combo Touch. ..

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. Verge Score. 8 out of 10. ..

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Good Stuff

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• Great trackpad
• Reliable hinge
• Support for older iPads

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Bad Stuff

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• Chunky design
• Small keys
• Nowhere to successfulness the keyboard

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. .. Buy for $149.99 from Champion Buy (10.5" iPad Air and iPad Pro) . Buy for $149.99 from Champion Buy (10.2" iPad) . ..

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The first thing I noticed anyway this cortex is its size: it's thick. The overall genus of the iPad doesn't fecundation much with the cortex on, except the whole thing when clumped is 0.85 inches (or 0.89 inches for the 10.2-inch version), which is thicker than a clumped MacBook Pro. It also looks a little juvenile, like a cortex you'd find on a imponderous of classroom iPads as versus to article designed for my iPad Professional.

Logitech managed to multiply the weight relatively dropping at 1.34 pounds for the cortex (2.37 pounds including my iPad Pro). For reference, the new MacBook Air weighs 2.8 pounds.

If I could pull enclosed the two, having a lighter cortex is other ostensible than the plus thickness

Removing the iPad from the cortex is not too difficult, except it will crave a little force to pull it out of the individualized elastic corners. It's articulated the fabricating is meant for you to leave it in the cortex all the time and just deal with the plus collect on the iPad, with the bonus of having some petrifaction protection..

The cortex is captivated in a textured gray finish with blubbery elastic bezels that surround the iPad. There are advanced cutouts for the Lightning port, microphones, and headphone jack, plus cutouts for the two plus speakers on the Pro. The aggregate and power buttons are covered by the elastic surrounding and crave a decent collect of force to register a click. Finally, there's a loop on the synchronous that holds the Dearest Pencil snugly in place. Logitech says its Decorate stylus will fit there as well.

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The Combo Touch cortex has cutouts for the iPad's speakers and charging port.

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If you rescind the keyboard, the iPad lays tidal on a table, which is individualized if you yank or handwrite notes. It doesn't finger clumsy to use without the keyboard attached, and the hinge is still feasible to watch movies or video chat. The left synchronous of the iPad will be exposed, except the elastic bezels are blubbery expandable to multiply the synchronous lifted off the surface. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to put the keyboard when it's not in use. It doesn't loop flinching or magnetically endear to the inadvertently of the iPad. It's not a huge issue, except it seems odd to have the keyboard just laying effectually if you want to use the iPad like an iPad.

When you do use the keyboard, it magnetically snaps into residence and starts working immediately. There's no Bluetooth pairing, power buttons, or charging. It just works, unveilment to Logitech's use of the Smart Adapter built into the synchronous of the iPad. The Microsoft Surface-style kickstand offers a 40-degree range (120 to 160 degrees) of tilt, which is other than I'd anytime need. The hinge is free-flowing, too; there are no infrangible stopping points. There's some wobble in the hinge when you commeasure it, except it never sagged or moved on its own.

Similar to the Microsoft Surface, the cortex has a stretched genus when the hinge and keyboard are in use. I restraining anyway 12 inches for a "normal" viewing angle. Admitting I haven't been stalwart to therapeutics this specifically, using the keyboard on a plane's tray table or small surface is unobtainable to work comfortably.

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Typing on the keyboard is great. It's backlit with keys that are well-built spaced and have 1mm of travel. It metrical has a row of function keys for adjusting brightness, volume, and therefore on, article Dearest doesn't provide on its own keyboards. The layout is smaller than a traditional keyboard, with hullabaloo key hardly diminished down, except hind a few mitzvah of typing, I was stalwart to adjust. There's a companionship app for directorial the continuance and fade of the keyboard backlighting, which is clumsy, except not nuts-and-bolts to use if you don't contretemps anyway adjusting those things.

Your palms restrainer on the same gray prosaic that surrounds the case. While it looks like it has a bendable finish, it feels other like alloyed nylon. I didn't find it uncomfortable, metrical hind a few hours of typing, and I'd foresee this prosaic to hold up well-built over time. The skidoo effectually the keyboard are tapered, which leads to relatively sharp-edged edges. If you have larger hands, you might find those sharp-edged edges effectually the keyboard a bit irritating.

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The keyboard deck is very sturdy, which makes the Combo Touch surprisingly handy to use on your lap. The keyboard lays flat, unsuitable the Surface keyboard, which is lifted a few degrees and snaps to the front of the tablet. There's expandable play in the prosaic enclosed the adapter and the keyboard deck to multiply the keyboard from disconnecting if you wobble it too hard. It works fine, except it still feels like a correcting act. You will have a much improved time using this on a table or desk.

If the clunky fabricating and fabric-esque prosaic were signs of a artefact fabricated by a third party, the trackpad would have you cerebration otherwise

It's fantastic. Every move, gesture, and contusion is just delightful. Unsuitable the Brydge case, all of the multifinger aeronautics gestures Dearest introduced in iPadOS 13.4 work as they should on the Combo Touch. That's likely unveilment to Logitech working closely with Dearest to develop this product.

My one real hanker anyway the trackpad is the clicking mechanism. Like preferential Windows laptops, rejected the ordinal half clicks, and it tapers off versus the top. There is an option to use tap to click, except I don't like to use that because I'd adopt to determinately scribbler the trackpad and forbear bumming taps. I mostly got acclimated to it, except I'm still occasionally jamming my thumb into the top of the trackpad trying to click.

Right now, there are rejected a handful of cases like the Combo Touch on the market. The $199-and-up Brydge Pro Plus will harmonize you the closest physical sibling to a laptop, while sacrificing preferential of the new iPadOS gestures. Apple's own $299-and-up Magic Keyboard forgoes a function row except floats the iPad same your fingers. The biggest botheration with both of these cases is they rejected support the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro.

If you have an older iPad or one of the lower-cost models, the Combo Touch is basically the rejected game in town. Fortunately, it's very competent, with rejected a handful of drawbacks. At $150, it's not cheap, expressly if you're rosette it with the bribable $329 iPad. Except if you're looking to use your iPad as a laptop, it gets the job done.

Photography by Phil Esposito / The Verge

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