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There are many options for external keyboards for iPad Pro. Apple makes its own smart keyboard and companies like Zagg and Logitech regularly publish elegant options. Brydge is one of the most popular iPad Pro keyboard manufacturers. With its MacBook-style aluminum design, the Brydge Pro for iPad Pro is very popular. But how does it compare to Apple's Smart Keyboard? Keep reading to find out.
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Brydge keyboard for iPad Pro design
In terms of design, it's hard to deny the benefits of Brydge over the Smart Keyboard Folio. The Brydge Pro is made from a gorgeous aluminum, available in gray and silver space, which perfectly matches the color of the iPad Pro. A MacBook style flap on the front makes it easy to open the keyboard, as well as rubber notches to protect the screen of your iPad Pro against the keyboard in dual-hull mode.
Brydge Pro this year also marks the first time that Brydge offers a back cover for iPad. In recent years, the back of the iPad has always been stripped, but this year Brydge includes a rubber back that attaches itself magnetically to the iPad itself. Personally, I do not use much back cover – the color matching between the keyboard and the iPad Pro is incredibly pretty in itself.
In addition, the Smart Keyboard Folio keyboard can not compare to the aluminum design of the Brydge Pro. The folio designed by Apple is an uninteresting piece of rubber that is functional, but not at all pleasant to the eyes. For a company as design-oriented as Apple, I'm wondering about the pattern of the Smart Keyboard Folio. It almost feels bad putting the rubber folio on the sleek unibody aluminum design of the iPad Pro.
Anchoring the iPad Pro in the Brydge Pro can be a bit of a challenge in the beginning. Basically, you simply slip the iPad in the two claws of the keyboard Brydge, but I found that the rubber caps hinges can cause some problems and are easily likely to slip. Once the iPad is completely in the hinges, everything is incredibly stable.
A minor problem is that when the iPad is docked in the pins, access to the navigation bar located at the bottom of iOS is harder because it is slightly under the keyboard. I call this a minor problem because you can also use CMD + H to return to the Home screen. A home button is also in the keyboard function row.
The Brydge Pro weighs 1.14 pounds. I'm using the 11 inch model. Therefore, if you add the weight of the Brydge and the iPad Pro 11 inches, the total weight is 2.17 pounds. For comparison, a 13-inch MacBook Pro weighs 3.02 pounds, the new MacBook Air weighs 2.75 pounds and the 12-inch MacBook weighs 2.03 pounds.
The Brydge Pro almost doubles the weight of the iPad Pro itself, which is predictable given that it is essentially a second piece of aluminum. The combination of the iPad Pro and the Smart Keyboard Folio weighs 1.68 lbs. As a result, the Brydge weighs down on things, but you also get a much more robust design.
Keyboard
Before I begin this section of the keyboard, I would like to say that it is difficult to describe a keyboard and that you really have to try it in person to find out what is best for you.
For a bit of history, I use a MacBook Pro 2018 daily with a butterfly keyboard, as well as a standalone Apple Magic Keyboard with my iMac. This means that I have become very used to the user-friendliness of Apple keyboards and reliability issues aside, this typing style is actually very popular.
For iPad keyboards, I have always used the Apple Smart Keyboard. Its design is similar to that of the butterfly keyboard used in MacBook, but it requires a little less movement because it is a single piece of fabric, unlike individual keys.
All that being said, the Brydge Pro keyboard design is much softer than that of Apple's keyboards. This is very similar to the keyboard design of the 2015 MacBook Pro in many ways.
Personally, it took a little time to get used to it after 3 years of using Apple's butterfly keyboard, but after about an hour of typing, the speed was at its maximum. The majority of this review was written on the Brydge Pro – using Ulysses on my iPad Pro – and it was a pretty nice experience.
As for the comparison with the Smart Keyboard Folio, the Brydge keyboard has a considerable length of advance due to its dedicated function line. You have here a dedicated lock button to quickly lock your iPad, as well as brightness controls, volume buttons and multimedia keys. There is also a Home button and a key dedicated to the display of the software keyboard.
Brydge Pro is also backlit. In the row of functions, you'll find a dedicated backlight button that lets you switch between the three available brightness levels. The backlight makes a huge difference when it comes to using the iPad Pro as a replacement for a laptop.
When it comes to capturing turns, the Brydge keyboard turns the iPad Pro into a true MacBook experience. While the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio tends to fall and slide, the Brydge Pro is rock solid. I found it just as nice to play with a laptop with the Brydge as with a MacBook.
My only complaint about the typing experience with the Brydge Pro is the lack of palm rest. This obviously boils down to the lack of space, but for a prolonged hit, the minimal area of the palm rest caused a little fatigue after a while. I have not personally used the 12.9-inch Brydge Pro, but judging by the pictures, it seems to have much larger wrist rests. The Smart Keyboard Folio, meanwhile, offers no area of palm rest.
Charge
One of the strengths of Brydge Pro is that it uses USB-C. This means that you can charge the keyboard via USB-C, as well as manually connect it via USB-C to the iPad Pro.
Brydge says you will only need to charge the keyboard once a year, even if you are using the keyboard backlight. This is an impressive feat, and makes it almost impossible to load. Of course, one of the benefits of the Smart Keyboard Folio is that you do not have to bill it, but I do not plan to bill the Brydge Pro once or twice a year. .
Improvements compared to the prototype
Earlier this year, 9to5Mac's Ben Lovejoy developed a prototype of the 12.9-inch iPad Brydge Pro and found some problems, probably due to the prototype nature of the version tested. The version of Brydge Pro that I am testing is the mainstream model, and the version you will get if you order one today.
One problem Ben faced was that the claws holding the iPro Pro in place were too tight. It's something I always agree with, as I mentioned earlier. It can be difficult to attach and remove the iPad Pro from the Brydge keyboard because of these claws. I understand why, but it can be a little frustrating if you like to regularly turn your workaholic iPad Pro into a couch surfboard, as I often do.
Ben also noted that the basics of his keyboard version were too weak, which caused the iPad to fall once you folded it beyond a certain point. With my consumer version of the Brydge Pro, I did not experience that at all. It may be because I used the 11-inch model and Ben was using the 12.9-inch version, but I had no worries about the stability of the hinges or the hinges. claws.
Finally, Ben pointed out that he found that the magnetic back cover did not fit the hinges perfectly. Personally, I found that the cover fits perfectly to the mainstream version, but that it tends to slip easily, especially when it slipped into a backpack. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to prefer the Brydge Pro without the back cover, so this is not a problem for me.
Brydge Keyboard for iPad Pro
Brydge Pro is an excellent alternative to Apple's Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro. It has a much more robust design that perfectly matches the unibody version of the iPad itself. It's not perfect, but it's a very nice experience overall.
When deciding whether to use the Brydge Pro or Smart Keyboard Folio with your iPad Pro, it depends largely on how you use your iPad. If you regularly take your iPad in and out of the keyboard, the Brydge Pro slightly complicates this process because of its very tight stems. If you're planning extended typing sessions, Brydge Pro is a much better experience with backlighting, a feature line, and more.
The Brydge Pro really turns the iPad Pro into a complete laptop replacement. With iOS also adding new features specifically for the iPad this year with iOS 13, it's hard not to be excited about the potential here.
The Brydge Pro is available in silver and space gray. The 11-inch version costs $ 149.99, while the 12.9-inch version costs $ 169.99. If you order now, Brydge indicates that your order will be shipped later this month. Prices may seem high, but Apple charges $ 199 for the 12.9-inch Smart Keyboard Folio and $ 179 for the 11-inch version, although they are made from inferior materials.
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