Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad - Worth it three years later?

what's up everybody I'm Corey with freaky tech reviews the Apple magic keyboard for iPad was launched in March of 2020 as a way to make your iPad into more of a laptop so here we are in March of 2023 and I want to take a look at is it still worth considering three years later I started my Apple ecosystem build in 2020 with the purchase of the M1 MacBook Air when the M1 chips first came out and I found myself really enjoying the switch to Mac for editing my videos as I started exploring Apple products and that ecosystem I found myself really enjoying how everything connects together with things like airdrop which is amazing for a content creator and how seamlessly everything connects together through Bluetooth but when I got my first hand-me-down iPad I didn't use it for anything more than a couple of games some YouTube videos to watch and the occasional sidecar as a second display for my MacBook but recently I got the opportunity to upgrade to the iPad Air 5th generation and along with it the Apple magic keyboard for iPad the keyboard is typically marketed with the iPad Pro but it works perfect with the newer generation errors on both connection and fitting into the magnetic holder I figured it would be nice to have a keyboard to go along with my iPad but outside of wanting it just because it was a really cool Apple product I couldn't see much of a use case for it because instead of using a touchpad I would just touch the screen five inches away from it and the price that you're going to pay for this keyboard of about three hundred dollars I didn't know if it was worth it because there are cheaper alternatives out there so we're going to go through some pros and cons of the magic keyboard today and then I'll share with you why I think it might still be worth it if you have an iPad so what I did not expect about getting the magic keyboard is how complete it makes the iPad experience at this point I've been using my MacBook for a couple of years but I found myself starting to grab my iPad more often because the experience of the keyboard is very simplistic and it's very user friendly the ability to navigate screens both on the touch screen and through the touchpad like a Macbook makes it really convenient in certain situations where you might not be able to do one or the other and also the fact that the keys provide the same one millimeter travel and feel very comfortable to type on and it feels exactly like my MacBook I really didn't feel like I was getting a different keyboard experience the trackpad and gestures that you use on this magic keyboard are the exact same as a Macbook so when you're used to that it transitions really nicely and you don't lose out on functionality what I also like about this keyboard is that it's so stiff whenever you fold it open that it holds itself up in a really nice vertical stand now the only problem with this is that it is very top heavy so while it's great on a flat surface sitting on your lap you kind of have to balance it because it is very top heavy I also like the fact that the keyboard itself functions as its own protective case now it has zero defense against moisture and dirt and debris and things like that but the keys that fold against the screen do cover it very well to provide any kind of fall damage and it's not perfect by any means but it's absolutely better than nothing because when you stack all the other features in addition to it protecting the iPad it kind of becomes this complete little package that works in a lot of different ways I also love the fact that it has USBC pass-through charging on the keyboard itself so when you're charging through that pass-through you're charging both the keyboard and the iPad and the keyboard itself lasts for like a month on a full charge and so being able to charge both at the same time is nice where it really starts to shine is the fact that you then have the USBC port on your iPad itself free to add any kind of external storage or anything else you might connect there and then the Bluetooth connection on this keyboard with your iPad is the absolute fastest that I've ever seen with Bluetooth in about four months of use for me there's never been an issue of it connecting instantly so as soon as you open your iPad and unlock it you're immediately able to start using your keyboard I've seen even third-party keyboards in the past that just don't connect as quickly and sometimes there might be a little bit of a lag time and while in 2023 a lot of third-party products for Apple devices is not really an issue there are definitely times where Apple's Bluetooth connection within their ecosystem just works better the easy comparison for me is on my Mac Studio I use the MX Master 3 for my mouse and also the Logitech MX Master keyboard that pairs really well with the mouse and while their Bluetooth connection Works fantastic with Apple products there's still sometimes a delay when you first start using them let me know in the comments below if you think some of the things that I like about the keyboard are also similar to what you like and if there's anything that I've left out please be sure to let me know as well now I do have a couple of complaints about the magic keyboard it is not the size of a full keyboard like the one on my MacBook Air now I totally understand this because this keyboard is basically also a case for the iPad and it's limited on the screen size of the iPad but you'll find that some of the buttons are quite a bit smaller than a MacBook Air so while the typing experience feels very similar it's not the same and like I mentioned earlier the balancing problem whenever it's on your lap and not like on a stable smooth surface is definitely something you want to keep in mind as it can tip over very easily and the last biggest con is the price 300 US dollars for this keyboard is absolutely absurd I think a lot of times people look at Apple products and think to themselves of course it's going to be extra expensive and the use case is not there and if you have that mindset and then you look at the fact that buying an iPad and the keyboard is the equivalent of buying basically a Macbook which is usually quite a bit more powerful what's the point is it even worth it but there are situations where it is worth it and what are those so while I have both the MacBook Air and I also have the iPad with the magic keyboard I have an opportunity to use both and I will say that 90 of the time I pick up my iPad with the keyboard before I pick up my MacBook and now while I have both I will say I do not think it's worth purchasing if you already have a Macbook now of course if you have money to blow and you want to just go get the keyboard sure it's great to have all of the Apple products together but where I really find this apple magic keyboard shining for the iPad at is if you already have an existing iPad and you don't have a Macbook if you pair this keyboard with a mouse you essentially have a MacBook with some exceptions on Power and function that would only cost you that 300 more instead of buying an entire laptop the quality of life Improvement that the keyboard brings to your iPad experience is Top Notch and I can't recommend it enough from that perspective so while the price is very steep at 300 I'd be very surprised if you weren't very happy with it within a day or two of using it with your iPad so let me know in the comments below if you think it's worth it I definitely do but I'd love to hear your thoughts as well but I really appreciate your time today be sure to subscribe and join the freaky tech reviews family so you can see when new videos come out and also let me know in the comments what type of products you'd be interested in seeing me review but thanks so much I'm Corey with freaky tech reviews I'll see you next time [Music] me foreign [Music]

Channel: Freaky Tech Reviews

Views: 29,098

Keywords: apple, magic keyboard, ipad, iphone, macbook, mac studio, M1 chip, M2 chip, M1 Ultra, apple watch ultra, apple event, youtube apple music, tablet, tech reviews, apple music, logitech, apple products, peripherals, 2023, worth buying, ipad pro, ipad air

Id: Mv8PYnPvGxU

Length: 6min 20sec (380 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 28 2023