Zagg Keyboard Cover for iPad Air Review

I don't normally start a product review the minute I get something in my hands, but since it's a keyboard connected to my iPad, what better way to review it than on the fly while using it? Armed with a birthday gift card from Amazon, I went in search of the "best keyboard cover for iPad Air under $50" - because I am cheap. So read on for the details behind my choice.

Side View

I bought a new iPad a few months ago when my 3rd generation one started to lose WiFi connectivity. Being cheap, which is nothing new, I didn't get the Air 2, but opted for the Air which I got at a great price. My old iPad had a Logitech keyboard cover that I reviewed HERE. My main negatives of the Logitech was that you couldn't adjust the angle of the tablet and I thought the magnet felt weak, like it could break off at any random time. So in looking at what was out there, I came across the Zagg and the Clam Case which both caught my eye. The main selling points of the Zagg was how it attached the iPad and the backlit keyboard. The problem was that the MSRP broke the $50 budget. Luckily, that price is for the Air2 version and I was able to pick up the Air version for $50 PLUS TAX. So I had to shell out $3.25 of my own money.



On to the review.
I doubt by the end of the review that I will have a grasp on the function buttons on the top row. But it's nice that they are there. I'm kind of afraid to touch them until I figure out what they are.

Typing
Typing is great on the Zagg. The keys have a nice spring to them and don't feel cheap and plasticy like the Logitech. I feel like I could type a pretty long blog with it as the keys aren't cramped. I am used to small keyboards due to my Asus Transformer 100 that I use often so this is not difficult to use. One thing I am finding myself doing is hitting the = button instead of the delete button every now and then.

Battery Life
The battery is rated at two months with 2 hours per day usage. More than likely, I'll get six months on it since I go through phases of typing. Having my iPad's Bluetooth turned on all the time is causing noticeable power drain on it.

Backlit Keyboard
While it looks cool, over the past three days I have yet to type in a dark enough room to see the lights and have it make a difference. Time will tell if this is just an unfortunate battery drainer or something useful.

Hinge
The hinge is tight and the grip on my iPad is solid. I couldn't ask for anything better here.


The Bad
Over the weekend I used the keyboard quite a bit and on two occasions I had to "forget" the device on my iPad and reconnect as it simply wouldn't work. That's real annoying. The other issue is the battery drain of my iPad, so much so that I've turned Bluetooth off when putting it down for a while. Hopefully, everything will reconnect with ease because if it doesn't that is going to get real annoying and make the keyboard end up gathering dust somewhere.

Overall, connection and battery issues aside, it's a great product that feels sturdy enough for full time use.


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