The new iPad Pro 9.7 smart keyboard introduced by apple for its 9.7” iPad Pro is certainly one of the best products that have been introduced by the brand so far. However, it may need you some time for getting accustomed to such a small-sized keyboard before you start typing fluently.
Quick Overview
Pros
- Smart Design
- Special Fabric-Covered Keys
- Serves as a screen cover too
- Battery life is not a concern with smart connector
Cons
- Typing fluently may need some time
- Backlight not there
- No shortcut keys
Our Verdict
It’s a solid accessory to accompany your small-sized iPad Pro. Though the typing may be less accurate and slow in the beginning but it may improve later on. Some good features, like smart connector, also accompany to enhance your experience.
iPad Pro 9.7 Smart Keyboard – Design
The smart keyboard ipad pro comes with a slim and attractive design and the best thing is that it can be doubled up as your keyboard stand. It is very much similar to the Smart Cover for the iPads as it can protect your iPad screen when it is closed. You can also unfold your keyboard to make a triangular prism like shape in which it can offer sturdy support to your iPad making a convenient angle to watch anything you like on your iPad in the landscape orientation. This position even works well for the FaceTime calls.
The keyboard comes with a seamless build and there are separate keys besides the cracks for any spilled liquid to keep your iPad keyboard spill free. There is also a custom-woven fabric cover that keeps your keyboard resilient and sturdy.
When you use your 9.7 ipad pro smart keyboard as your iPad case, it enfolds the screen of the iPad with soft micro-fibre lining, whereas the exterior is covered with polyurethane material. The fact that it’s not in leather, however, was a bit disappointing,especially considering its price, andwith our experience we can say that this polyurethane exterior is going to wear out easily after continuously carrying it around for several months.
The protection offered by the smart keyboard as a cover would probably be incomplete as well because, usually, the cases are meant for optimal protection. Even when you have covered your iPad Pro 9.7 with the keyboard, its back is still open and may get some scratches when you put it somewhere roughly. But if that’s not much of an issue for you and you’d rather prefer something that is light-weight, slim and attractive then you certainly love the ipad pro 9.7 smart keyboard.
The currently available smart keyboard comes with US English only and there are not multimedia keys – the ones you find on Mac Keyboard – on it either.
What Kind Of Typing Experience You Have?
Despite all the great features of the smart keyboard 9.7, typing on it doesn’t give you the ideal feel but it won’t be wrong to say that it is still a lot better compared to other keyboards available on market in similar sizes.
For keeping it slim and lightweight, the keys are made to have shallower action and the scissor or butterfly mechanism is not applied. It’s the tension in covering fabric that keeps the keys well in position. Due to this, overall typing experience is not that satisfying when you are using this keyboard with your pro pad.
The keys usually have a familiar layout but the ones on the smart keyboard for pad pro 9.7are somewhat different. They are more rounded in shape and the size is a bit smaller as well. Compared to the smart keyboard for the bigger version, they look a bit too cramped together as well and many typists don’t like it about the smart keyboard from apple. Due to all these factors, typing on 9.7 inch smart keyboard proves to be a lot slower and inaccurate and you need quite a lot of practice to get familiar with the keyboard and its layout to start typing fluently and without any hassle. If you are planning to switch from 12.9” smart keyboard to this smaller version then it will be hard for you to digest and will be quite time consuming as well.