Elegance is a big deal to me, and it is the driving motivation in a lot of what Apple has done in the past decade. Apple products ooze elegance; which is why it has dumbfounded me that Apple has not released a convertible tablet, nor a matching keyboard for the iPad that make it into a sexy convertible. The 2018 iPad Pro is as close to a laptop replacement as Apple has ever made, and its biggest leap forward in the tablet market to date. The iPad’s Smart Keyboard leaves a lot to be desired, at least aesthetically, and it is shocking that this is the best Apple has to offer for its headlining iPad Pro. This left room for a slick competitor to come in with something spectacular, and Brydge has done just that: designed a keyboard that matches the iPad’s beautiful aesthetics, while offering stellar performance.
Let’s start with the Brydge Pro’s stunning aluminum body. Available in space grey or silver, it matches aesthetics and design elements perfectly, and the color is seamless. Brydge has opted for rubber feet on the bottom, so the Pro is not slippery when typing, which is a major downside to some of the competitors’ offerings, including Apple’s. Everything about the Brydge Pro has been well-thought through, and really gives off major Cupertino design chills.
The keyboard itself, at least on the 12.9” unit I tested, is laid out beautifully. It is extremely easy to type on, and even rocks back and raises up when the screen is pushed back. Gives a nice little lift. The newly designed hinges are barely there, and not the cumbersome eyesore you might expect. They even allow the iPad to rotate a full 180 degrees. I don’t type at weird angles, but I am sure there could be situations where this could be useful. But clearly, the fully pivoting hinges weren’t designed just for typing? Nope.
For the first time, because of the new iPad Pro’s design, the iPad can be seated in the hinges in either direction, so now Brydge offers a tablet mode, and a multi-angle viewing movie mode. In tablet mode, the Pro can close on the keyboard, and although a tad heavy for tablet use, still pretty damn convenient, and honestly the way I am using it primarily. I love the unlimited angles for movie mode, as this really accommodates when watching movies in a hotel bed and not being locked to one set angle.
Brydge, also for the first time, is offering a complimentary back cover for your iPad. The cover is magnetic, but doesn’t appear to be using as many magnets as the Apple Smart Keyboard, so it doesn’t align as automatically as the Apple unit. This is really the only negative in this entire product, and its extremely minor. A nice touch for sure, but I don’t find myself using this, as I like it in tablet mode for most of the day, and it is not useful in this mode.
The Pro has a claimed one-year battery life even with its three-step backlight enabled, and that is pretty damn miraculous if true. The unit charges with USB-C, and can even be a wired keyboard to your iPad, and it will charge at the same time. The Pro connects via Bluetooth, and even sleeps when the screen is closed.
As exciting as this Pro is, with the rumored trackpad and mouse support coming in iOS 13, one can only dream of the Brydge Pro II with built-in Bluetooth trackpad. When this happens, say sayonara to my MacBook Pro, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.