Logitech Combo touch

Introduction

As many of you know. I have been an evolving iPad user. The apps I use are becoming more and more refined on the iPad as a platform and as of writing this post. Only two of the apps I use are absent from the iPad AppStore.

As you may have read in a previous post, I currently own a iPad 9th gen. Nothing overly fancy. But it certainly gets the job done and never struggles with my work load. The 9th gen comes with the 3 pins on the bottom to attach a keyboard. Much like the iPad pro and air lineup.

What I have already been using

My partner already had the 10” iPad pro and the Smart Keyboard Folio from Apple. I must admit, I had pinched the keyboard since I got my 9th gen. I found the folio keyboard ‘acceptable’. It worked, but was not the best typing experience. It lacked the proper key travel of a traditional keyboard. I also didn’t like that I could not put a case on the iPad as they would cover the keyboard connectors.

What did I want to achieve?

As I knew I wanted to move to using my iPad as my primary device, as it is always much quicker to use the iPad than to use any desktop or laptop computer. But I was lacking a proper keyboard and a mouse. I had previously connected my Apple MagicMouse. But this presented problems as the mouse would not seamlessly move between my MacBook Pro and the iPad.

Choosing my keyboard

I wanted invest in a keyboard system that I could use daily. I had a look at the current offering from Apple. I was a bit horrified. The only keyboard that fit my description, was the magic keyboard. This was nearly £300. Way more than I considered ethical to spend on this keyboard, as it made up nearly 80% of the cost of the iPad in the first place.

I came across the ‘Logitech Combo touch’ and this fit my requirements perfectly. It came with a case for the iPad that fit perfectly. It had a full travel keyboard and a place to store my Apple Pencil.

My first worry about getting a non-apple keyboard. Was that it would not use the 3 pin keyboard connector. But this one did and this surprised me. It also had a built in trackpad. Wins all around.

Ordering

Much like over bits of tech. I ordered this from Amazon. If I am being 100% honest. I didn’t have the best experience with this. As the it was advertised as being a prime item. Meaning I could expect the item the next day. It took nearly a week.

Setup

The setup process was very simple. The combo touch comes in two parts. The case and the keyboard. I won’t explain how I setup the case part, as this is a bit like trying to teach a gardener to dig. But the keyboard just snapped onto the keyboard, just like the other Apple keyboard. It just snapped into place.

However, unlike the Apple keyboards. A nice little message popped up on the screen. This told me that I needed to install an app to use the device. I had to download the ‘Logitech Control’ app and once installed it worked perfectly. However, it did ask me todo a firmware update first.

Experience

Once I started typing and using the mouse. I found the experience to be very good. However for the best experience, you do need to be sat at a table with the device on a flat surface. However the device will work on many different surfaces. I can use the keyboard while the iPad is on my lap. But it is a little unstable. The Combo Touch includes a kick stand, very similar to Microsoft Surface. This makes it a a bit unstable to use on your lap. To make this a very fair test. I typed this entire article on the Combo touch and managed to type at nearly my normal typing speed.

The trackpad on the Combo Touch is very good and works well. However the click of the trackpad is only at the bottom. This is a little annoying but not a game changer. The backlit keys are amazing. I remember using the Smart Keyboard Folio in the dark and not being able to see the keys.

Conclusion

In conclusion. I think the Combo touch is a very good keyboard. While using it. It almost seems like I’m using a Microsoft Surface or an iPad Pro. But while retaining the price point of the standard iPad. I would recommend this keyboard to anyone over the the Apple keyboards as they do offer (in some cases) more features at a much better price point. I also do not think that you trade off any features that you would get natively with the Apple keyboards.

Apple, Combo, iOS, ipadOS, Keyboard, Logi, Logitech, touch

Apple, Tech

January 31, 2023