I’m always looking for ways to reduce the amount of technology I take away with me and have long wondered whether I could manage with just my iPad rather than taking along a laptop. When I saw this foldable keyboard on AliExpress I thought that it would be great to give it a go.
Unboxing
Looking at it you might be forgiven for thinking that this is an Apple product, cut from a block of aluminium, but sadly not. It’s cut from plastic and I t’s lightweight, although the latter does make it easier to carry.
The device consists is two parts: the keyboard and the trackpad. They are hinged and fold neatly together. There is also included a wrap that goes around the folded keyboard and also doubles as a stand for the iPad.
In Use
Firstly the good: it’s actually surprisingly good to type on. I have written most of this article with it and it’s been pretty smooth with few errors. I also like that you can connect it to multiple devices. It has three separate profiles.
However, due to the split between the keyboard and the trackpad it doesn’t really work on the lap, it’s much better on a flat surface. This limited its usefulness to me being in a hotel without a desk and chair.
Now the bad: the trackpad works but it’s a bit like using a 1980’s laptop. It’s functional but not a lot more – MacBook standard this is not. I also found that because of the odd angles when trying to use it on my lap I kept activating the trackpad and the mouse would move to somewhere I didn’t want it. Fortunately you can toggle the trackpad on and off with fn+space combination.
There’s also not a backlight but I attach my light from my Xteink to the back which works well.
I also made some changes to the iPad settings for the trackpad which made the experience better for me, although you may prefer it differently. At least you are able to make changes.
Conclusions
Overall it’s a mixed result for me. On the one hand it is lightweight, portable and the typing experience is good. On the other it feels cheap and the trackpad is only just usable. Now if only Apple would make a cheap MacBook with a decent keyboard…
| Pros | Cons |
| Cheap | Very plasticky |
| Wrap doubles as stand | No backlight |
You can buy the same keyboard from AliExpress for about £29 here.
