Brydge 10.5 Series II iPad Pro & Air Keyboard Review
We all love our handheld touchscreen tablets and their touch keyboards, but still like to resort to laptops or desk computers when greater amounts of key work input are necessary. Fortunately this dilemma is no longer a necessary problem and we can now attach wireless keyboards to our tablets. Here we put the Brydge Series II Wireless Keyboard for the 10.5 inch iPad Air (3rd gen) & 11 inch 2020 / 2018 iPad Pro models to the test to see just how useful and effective it is at around £120. Buy on Amazon
Build Quality and Appearance
Right from the beginning there is no doubt that Brydge offer a high-end and sophisticated product. The packaging box is substantial and has a magnectic catch. This is good because you might wish to remove and store the wireless keyboard from time to time so that your tablet is returned to its lighter-weight standard appearance. For our iPad Air we had a choice of three matching colours of space gray, silver or gold. We went with the silver which looks good with our rose gold iPad. The body of the Brydge keyboard is produced from a single piece of high-grade aluminium and has the same strength and beauty to that of the iPad. The iPad fits perfectly into the hinge clips, which are very well protected so that there is no possibility of damage to the iPad. Brydge have perfectly matched the iPad size, so when closed you have a perfect shape; just like a small laptop. The hinges are strong and smooth to operate and opening and closing your iPad with a Brydge attached feels just like opening a MacBook, and the hinges can be safely opened at any angle up to 180°.
In Use and Functionality
The Bluetooth connectivity is quick and simple, with a Bluetooth key sitting next to the on and off key. Once paired we have not had to reconnect. Some of the first things we notice on the top row keys is a home key and iOS keys giving the ability to control screen brightness, speaker volume, media pause/play and fast forwards or backwards straight from the keyboard; this gives a truly MacBook experience. There is also a key that brings up the tablet’s own keyboard, which we found quite a useful and clever innovation. Two other useful top-row keys are one offering the sophistication of backlighting with three settings, and one for checking the battery condition.
The truth is that the experience of having an actual keyboard together with a touchscreen gives you something more than any laptop can offer. How often have you tried to touch the screen of your MacBook, forgetting that it isn’t a tablet screen? Well, with the Brydge all becomes possible. Added to this dual touchscreen and keyboard functionality are the informative menus given when you hold the command key down on the Brydge. Here you will find all the shortcuts available within the app or screen you are presently on, including the useful ability to bring up the dock or the standard Mac command/tab for changing from any open app to another.
The size of this Brydge keyboard on an iPad Air is particularly good for touch-typing and has well-spaced low-pressure keys. The cursor direction keys are quick and responsive, but it would be the icing on the cake to have a touch-pad for quick cursor movement and scrolling – although, of course, all this is still available by touching the screen, so perhaps not so important!
Battery Life
‘Incredible’ is the only word for a battery life anticipated to last for 12 months between charges. We’ve been using ours for ages and it still shows the top level of 75-100%. Apparently when it does need charging (cable included in box) it takes around 3 hours for a complete top-up from empty.
To Sum Up
The Brydge iPad Air Wireless keyboard is the perfect accessory to your iPad to make it into a touchscreen laptop with style and durability built in.
