Customer Review
- Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2019Product Update... 03/28/2021
Unfortunately, the product has failed. The electronics are fine, including connectivity and keyboard mechanics. What failed was how the iPad seats in the case. In context, I use this at least 3 or 4 days a week. I do not use this daily. You may notice there are no impacts or marring on the case, to indicate any impact caused these issues. This was caused primarily due to opening/closing the case. I found over time, the opening/closing of this device had so much tension on it, it caused the bottom of the iPad on the case (for orientation, the “bottom” refers to where the case meets at the hinge) to slip out. (See image where this location is circled in red.) In this time, every time I would open this up, the iPad kept slipping out of the case more and more. This was not such a big deal, but it turns out, this constant popping out caused the corner of the case to crack on both sides. (See image where this location is circled in yellow.). It will start as a hairline crack, then gets larger. This is most likely why I didn’t catch the left side prior to have a piece break off. I have also added a photo of the results and the what is looks like when this crack starts. This only exacerbated the issue. The case finally got to the point that the cracks were too big I was afraid that slipping out would be a possibility. I’m updating this review as I found that I only purchase this about a year ago. For the amount of use, I would have expected more durability. This is a great case overall, but if it does not last, I can no longer recommend this product.
Original Review...
Why I bought this…
I think it’s important to understand why I would buy a product like this. I was carrying a Bluetooth keyboard around when needed for heavy typing. I was looking for a keyboard/case combination so I would always have a keyboard available when needed.
The keyboard does have a pretty good feel, but does have issues with the weight of the iPad and the keyboard, as the iPad is heavier than the keyboard itself. Because of this, it will tend to fall backwards if pushed back too far. That being said, this is a minor issue and not worthy of any deductions. Just note, although it’s labeled as a “360”, there are some angles that are simply not practical.
The documentation states there is a 5000 mAh with a 30 day standby time. It is good for 60 hours of continuous use with no backlighting. I imagine this would be good for at least 20 hours of use with the backlight on. That should be more than sufficient time between charging if needed.
Build quality is good, considering it is made primarily in plastic. This includes the hinge. I’m weary whether the plastic hinge will last a long time. Long term use will determine it’s sturdiness. I will update my review as normal if anything changes. You are able to hold the keyboard on the front edge without any (or noticeable) bending from the weight of a 9.7 inch, 128 GB 6th Gen iPad.
The backlighting is good and easily accessible. You can turn on the light with a quick press of a dedicated button. Press once to turn on high, twice to turn on medium, a third time to turn on low, and a fourth press will turn it off. There is also a dedicated color button to change the color to your liking. The backlighting is executed well, which means it works. The keys are clear and well-lit even on low. I actually prefer the lowest setting, but nice to know it’s higher brightness is available. For some reason the automatic backlighting didn’t work and I thought this feature didn’t work. After using it the second time, it seems to turn on/off-sleep as expected. I’ll keep an eye on it, but is a welcome feature for battery life.
The keyboard shortcuts are mapped for a MacOS environment, where you can use the same Mac command keys, as opposed to Windows command keys. This will make it easier and consistent for Mac users. It has the all the dedicated quick keys for brightness, volume, play/pause/fwd/rwd, keyboard, color, light, and pair. The keyboard layout is done well.
Speaking of keyboard, the keyboard works and feels well. It’s quiet, but travels well and provides enough feedback to know you’ve properly hit the keys. It’s a little of heavy for me, but nothing I haven’t worked with before. Meaning, I can’t type as light as my traditional stock Mac keyboard. This keyboard does feel like a traditional laptop in a lot of ways, but nothing like my Mac. This review was written using this keyboard and I had no issues. I was impressed. At first I didn’t like it too much, but easily got used to it and enjoyed typing on it.
As a case, this product is okay. This does add weight and bulk to your iPad. Protection is okay, but ultimately, you are buying this product for the keyboard as opposed to a protective case. The back portion of the case that holds the iPad and covers the back is simply hard plastic. The front protection is primarily the keyboard. It will do it’s job for small drops or dings, but I don’t think it would take a hard hit without breaking anything.
Pros:
Quality build is good.
Keyboard works well. Use it to get used to it.
Converts your iPad to a small laptop with productivity tools (MS Word works great.)
Cons:
Creates a lot of bulk and weight.
Quality build could be better.
Expensive for what you get.
Overall, this is a good product. I have paid less for better quality Bluetooth keyboards and cases combined, so I was hoping for the price the quality, feel, and experience would be better. I feel I’m paying for the versatility of both the keyboard/case and the swivel in a single product. Still, there is no other product that has managed to put these two together in a single product as well as this one. I would recommend this product simply because it is the best option on the market I could find.
I would recommend this product because it’s the really the only game in town, but I wish for the price point, it would be a much better build.
3.5-Stars
Product Update... 03/28/2021
Unfortunately, the product has failed. The electronics are fine, including connectivity and keyboard mechanics. What failed was how the iPad seats in the case. In context, I use this at least 3 or 4 days a week. I do not use this daily. You may notice there are no impacts or marring on the case, to indicate any impact caused these issues. This was caused primarily due to opening/closing the case. I found over time, the opening/closing of this device had so much tension on it, it caused the bottom of the iPad on the case (for orientation, the “bottom” refers to where the case meets at the hinge) to slip out. (See image where this location is circled in red.) In this time, every time I would open this up, the iPad kept slipping out of the case more and more. This was not such a big deal, but it turns out, this constant popping out caused the corner of the case to crack on both sides. (See image where this location is circled in yellow.). It will start as a hairline crack, then gets larger. This is most likely why I didn’t catch the left side prior to have a piece break off. I have also added a photo of the results and the what is looks like when this crack starts. This only exacerbated the issue. The case finally got to the point that the cracks were too big I was afraid that slipping out would be a possibility. I’m updating this review as I found that I only purchase this about a year ago. For the amount of use, I would have expected more durability. This is a great case overall, but if it does not last, I can no longer recommend this product.
Original Review...
Why I bought this…
I think it’s important to understand why I would buy a product like this. I was carrying a Bluetooth keyboard around when needed for heavy typing. I was looking for a keyboard/case combination so I would always have a keyboard available when needed.
The keyboard does have a pretty good feel, but does have issues with the weight of the iPad and the keyboard, as the iPad is heavier than the keyboard itself. Because of this, it will tend to fall backwards if pushed back too far. That being said, this is a minor issue and not worthy of any deductions. Just note, although it’s labeled as a “360”, there are some angles that are simply not practical.
The documentation states there is a 5000 mAh with a 30 day standby time. It is good for 60 hours of continuous use with no backlighting. I imagine this would be good for at least 20 hours of use with the backlight on. That should be more than sufficient time between charging if needed.
Build quality is good, considering it is made primarily in plastic. This includes the hinge. I’m weary whether the plastic hinge will last a long time. Long term use will determine it’s sturdiness. I will update my review as normal if anything changes. You are able to hold the keyboard on the front edge without any (or noticeable) bending from the weight of a 9.7 inch, 128 GB 6th Gen iPad.
The backlighting is good and easily accessible. You can turn on the light with a quick press of a dedicated button. Press once to turn on high, twice to turn on medium, a third time to turn on low, and a fourth press will turn it off. There is also a dedicated color button to change the color to your liking. The backlighting is executed well, which means it works. The keys are clear and well-lit even on low. I actually prefer the lowest setting, but nice to know it’s higher brightness is available. For some reason the automatic backlighting didn’t work and I thought this feature didn’t work. After using it the second time, it seems to turn on/off-sleep as expected. I’ll keep an eye on it, but is a welcome feature for battery life.
The keyboard shortcuts are mapped for a MacOS environment, where you can use the same Mac command keys, as opposed to Windows command keys. This will make it easier and consistent for Mac users. It has the all the dedicated quick keys for brightness, volume, play/pause/fwd/rwd, keyboard, color, light, and pair. The keyboard layout is done well.
Speaking of keyboard, the keyboard works and feels well. It’s quiet, but travels well and provides enough feedback to know you’ve properly hit the keys. It’s a little of heavy for me, but nothing I haven’t worked with before. Meaning, I can’t type as light as my traditional stock Mac keyboard. This keyboard does feel like a traditional laptop in a lot of ways, but nothing like my Mac. This review was written using this keyboard and I had no issues. I was impressed. At first I didn’t like it too much, but easily got used to it and enjoyed typing on it.
As a case, this product is okay. This does add weight and bulk to your iPad. Protection is okay, but ultimately, you are buying this product for the keyboard as opposed to a protective case. The back portion of the case that holds the iPad and covers the back is simply hard plastic. The front protection is primarily the keyboard. It will do it’s job for small drops or dings, but I don’t think it would take a hard hit without breaking anything.
Pros:
Quality build is good.
Keyboard works well. Use it to get used to it.
Converts your iPad to a small laptop with productivity tools (MS Word works great.)
Cons:
Creates a lot of bulk and weight.
Quality build could be better.
Expensive for what you get.
Overall, this is a good product. I have paid less for better quality Bluetooth keyboards and cases combined, so I was hoping for the price the quality, feel, and experience would be better. I feel I’m paying for the versatility of both the keyboard/case and the swivel in a single product. Still, there is no other product that has managed to put these two together in a single product as well as this one. I would recommend this product simply because it is the best option on the market I could find.
I would recommend this product because it’s the really the only game in town, but I wish for the price point, it would be a much better build.
3.5-StarsImages in this review
