I was pretty high on the CT going in, but ended up returning it today in favor of the MKB. I’ll certainly miss the coverage when detached from the keyboard, but the weak lap support ended up being too much of a hindrance for my use cases.
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Reviews for Logitech Combo Touch for iPad Pro 2021
- Thread starter slplss
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Hello everyone.
I received my 2021 12.9" iPad Pro & Logitech Combo Touch on Friday.
I won't offer a full review, but would like to share some observations. And am happy to answer any questions that come up.
The Good:
The Bad:
Overall... I'd give this 8/10.
Main reason to pick this over the Magic Keyboard were, in order of importance to me:
I'll check back here regularly... and am happy to answer additional questions.
I received my 2021 12.9" iPad Pro & Logitech Combo Touch on Friday.
I won't offer a full review, but would like to share some observations. And am happy to answer any questions that come up.
The Good:
- The case is nice and offers good protection.
- If you wanna use a Screen Protector (Tempered Glass in my case) and applied it pretty centered the case fits well and does not touch the protector. It HAS to be very straight though.
- The keyboard part is very sturdy. Keyfeel is similar to the stand-alone Apple Magic Keyboard.
Key Size and Key Spacing are likewise pretty similar to the stand-alone Magic Keyboard. - The backlight works well and los good, there is light-bleed however (if you care about that).
- Having a function row is KING. For brightness, volume, keyboard brightness. Perfect. F3 and F4 (Show/Hide Keyboard + Spotlight) are useless imho. I'd have prefered "Mission Control" like on the Standard keyboard.
As an aside... they new iMac Keyboard with keys for dictation and Spotlight is also super stupid, in my book. Instead they should have offered keys for "Show Desktop" (super important), and maybe App Exposé. With the older keyboards I always configured the blank F5 key to do just that... but alas. - The trackpad feels good. Cursor movement is fine (if you disable acceleration!), gestures (Zoom, "Mission Control", etc. work well.
It PHYSICALLY depressed, but it is NOT a diving board design. You can physically press ANYWHERE. (But really, just use your thumb on the lower edge, the way you're supposed to 😀). The trackpad is on par with Apple's Trackpads overall. - The Kickstand seems to work pretty well overall.
- I LOVE how you can detach the keyboard part and use the iPad in a case with kickstand. For around the house this is perfect, just to prop it up.
- The case protects all sides and edges, minus the cut out for the Apple Pencil, without adding too much to the width and height of the iPad.
The Bad:
- Some keys are a tad smaller. (Using a QWERTZ version). Such as the ^ (top left), < (bottom left), as well as the ü+ä# keys next to the return key. It doesn't REALLY matter too much.
- The back cover where the kickstand hinge is... the fabric there just above and below the folding part is a bit... loose or wavey, for the lack of a better word.
- The material that covers the kickstand on the INSIDE reminds me of the rubbery plastic that Apple used in it's OG iPad case in 2010. Bending it over and over again... I wonder how this'll hold up, tbh.
- The iPad's hardware keys are covered and kinda hard to press.
- The case is pretty heavy. Even without the keyboard part. To me, personally, this doesn't really matter too much.
- The kickstand is not really ideal for the lap, and the overall depth on a desk is also quite substantial.
- The kickstand makes the iPad kinda thick.
- The trackpad could be a bit bigger on the Y-axis, extending further down to the edge. Especially when you are a thumb clicker your thumb rests on the case part rather than the trackpad. There's no real reason they left ¾ of an inch of space to the bottom.
- The trackpad could be bigger on the Y-axis overall, by moving the keyboard a bit further up. There's literally 1 inch of space up top of the keyboard. Why?! This would have also made it better to rest your palms on the palmrest. The way it is (depending on your hands) you may have them on the lower parts or even the edge.
- Top right key is "lock". Would have preferred a Forward Delete key.
- I hate that the first key up top is a home button, rather than ESC. Using the keyboard with the iPad DOES make it feel a lot more like a Mac. I have to say. I never expected this tbh. And I am kinda like a hardcore Mac poweruser... and consider the iPad more akin to an expensive toy, UNLESS you heavily rely on the Apple Pencil for Design stuff etc. I don't. My workflow is VERY different and requires multiple (10s) of open applications and windows. A robust file system and many other things. In that regard the iPad just doesn't cut it. YMMV.
Anyhow... so it feeling more LIKE a Mac... I see myself reaching for that fake ESC key a lot to dismiss pop-ups or dialogs etc. In SOME cases it actually works... in others it doesn't.
Fun fact... iPad OS allows you to remap some hardware keys, such as CTRL, CMD, Caps Lock, etc. THIS key... however, you cannot remap. Maaaaybe Logitech allows it with it's included App (that lets you update the keyboards firmware) in the future. That'd be great.
Overall... I'd give this 8/10.
Main reason to pick this over the Magic Keyboard were, in order of importance to me:
- Remove keyboard, still have a case around the iPad and have it protected.
- Remove keyboard and still be able to prop it up.
- Function Row
- Cheaper
I'll check back here regularly... and am happy to answer additional questions.
christophermdia
macrumors 6502a
Yes, it is def stronger. I have the older 10.5 version and while keyboard doesn’t fall off , it detaches wayyy easier than this newer 11 version 3rd gen. It’s almost even hard to take off.
Nhwhazup
macrumors 68040
So who is choosing this Logitech keyboard over the Apple one? I have the Apple one arriving tomorrow. But I almost like the combination of the Logitech better where you still have a back case when detaching the keyboard. Right now I’m using the magnetic Apple folio which is fine. The cost of both the Apple folio and Apple keyboard for my IPP 11 inch is almost double the dual purposed Logitech. It’s not even so much the price but just having to use 2 Apple products to get the versatility of the Logitech.
NYanakiev
macrumors member
I picked up two Logitech Combo Touch keyboards- for my new iPad Pros in 11" and 12.9"
Had them for a day and gone straight back to Apple.
The reasons are as follows:
-scrolling was quite choppy
-trackpad feels pretty bad to the touch
-overall far less pleasant to use than the ML
I will miss the functions row at the top and the ability to detach the keyboard but, overall, I didn't find the Combo Touch to be good enough.
Had them for a day and gone straight back to Apple.
The reasons are as follows:
-scrolling was quite choppy
-trackpad feels pretty bad to the touch
-overall far less pleasant to use than the ML
I will miss the functions row at the top and the ability to detach the keyboard but, overall, I didn't find the Combo Touch to be good enough.
Nhwhazup
macrumors 68040
Thanks for the feedback. I was just about to snag a Logitech. Now I think I’ll pass.
psychonaut
macrumors 6502a
Had the Logitech case but as mentioned in my video it’s heavy (Over 3lbs when on the 12.9 and over 2lbs when keyboard detached), found it tricky to open and biggest deal breaker for me was the case completely covers a microphone on the iPad (not even a cutout for it) which after testing does indeed diminish audio capture quality.
I returned it last night and picked up a smart folio and will soon grab a magic keyboard case for times when I need it. While a costly expense, the ease of being able to swap cases simply by magnetic force is pretty awesome. I’m going to miss the shortcut row on the Logitech keyboard but I’ll get over it. For times when I need to bring my iPad with me I’ll store it in a tomtoc zippered case that holds everything quite nicely and keeps it protected when traveling.
Nope. For me it's similar to scrolling on a Mac with a Trackpad. Or to the iPad using your fingers.
I've never had the older version. But I second, that the magnets are pretty strong. Not too strong, IMHO, but also not too weak. Seems pretty spot on.
Not to say he is/you are wrong. But my experience is the exact opposite.
Scrolling is buttery smooth to me. And the trackpad feels fine. And I generally say that as someone who HATES every trackpad on EVERY single computer other than Apple's. The only other trackpad I have experienced so far that is okay... is the Microsoft Surface Book one (the tablet with detachable keyboard and fulcrum hinge). All the others I really, really hate.
The Logitech one... I'd put on par with this MS one... maybe slightly above.
Wow.I hated it with a passion when I tried. I am by no means an Apple fanboy as I have a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra..
alexcue
macrumors 6502a
Agree here… scrolling is fine on mine. Hey I have both the TC and the MKB, they both seem fine to me. I use mine outside, so I don’t mind the weight of the case, it just seems more durable than the MKB, which feels great to the touch, but don’t want it scratched up before I get a skin for it.
I don’t mind having choices, so each will get use in my setup, but I have several iPads that I use for different things/places.
Same, no problem with scrolling, perfectly smooth and seamless experience. I haven’t also fiddled with trackpad acceleration, I can’t stand it on PC but I like how it is on this Logi trackpad. Only thing I don’t like about the case is how hard is to remove iPad from it, I thought I’d be going naked at times but not at risk bending the iPad or destroying the case. Also as someone has pointed out, it can be pretty challenging to open the case with attached Pencil, as there's limited space for your fingers and the magnets are pretty strong.
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Nhwhazup
macrumors 68040
I did get my magic keyboard today and I really, really like it. I like the clickiness of the keys and the scroll pad works great. It was totally attach and go for it. I guess I’ll keep the Apple keyboard and the folio for when not using the keyboard. However, I almost like the idea of using a skin on the back of the iPad and not bothering with the folio. Although this combination is certainly easy enough to switch out - especially with the magnets.
I returned the Logitech in one day as well. The trackpad scrolling is smooth, but the big issue is as someone else mentioned on the forums, you have to have your two fingers horizontally placed to initiate right click, otherwise it doesn’t register the double fingered tap for right click. MKB doesn’t have this problem, you can have you two fingers oriented however and they will work to register a right click. Also biggest issue for me has been when scrolling to an icon or link and clicking with my thumb while leaving my arrow scrolling finger on the pad, the thumb click just wont work unless you leave the scrolling finger off of the icon that you scrolled to (so nothing touching the trackpad) then click it….it really hampers the workflow. MKB doesn’t have this problem either. This was reproducible and very frustrating for Me, so back it went. I do miss the protection that this case provides over the magic keyboard, but I will wait till pitaka comes out with a MKB compatible case.
grmlin
macrumors 65816
Damn, I really wanted to get the Combo Touch as it seemed to be the perfect solution, but now I'm torn :/
I absolutely need my iPad to be in a case and well protected. It won't be when using the Magic Keyboard. I guess I'll wait and see if Logitech can improve things with firmware updates.
Another question: is it possible to use it on your lap sitting on the couch or is this a no go with it?
I absolutely need my iPad to be in a case and well protected. It won't be when using the Magic Keyboard. I guess I'll wait and see if Logitech can improve things with firmware updates.
Another question: is it possible to use it on your lap sitting on the couch or is this a no go with it?
Here is another video but this time the Combo Touch is measured in centimetres (34cm), just jump to 10:03 in the video. Could be helpful for you if it‘s lapable or not.
(It’s a french language review)
I'd literally just buy it. It's a good case. Good keyboard. I'm happy. I also experience zero issues.
On the couch...well depends on how you sit. If you sit in an L-seat (to use sports terminology) with your legs straight in front of you... it works. Keyboard, Kickstand and all.
If you sit with your legs at an angle... as I do at times, I simply remove the physical keyboard.
This is not really a position to be productive 😀 At least not with a keyboard. It also wouldn't work with the Magic Keyboard though.
MassiveBeers
macrumors newbie
Coming from a 2018 Pro with a Smart Keyboard Folio and I love this keyboard case.
Like most when I originally got my 2018 iPad pro I immediately thought "Magic Keyboard" but I was just one of those few didn't like using it. I mean the keyboard is great an I loved the extra USB C connector but I loathed having to pop it off the case anytime I needed it to be a bit more dynamic than in static portrait mode and always found the lack of shortcut keys as a big downer.
I enjoyed the Smart Keyboard Folio but missed a trackpad, those shortcut keys again and the lack of protection as it was more a kickstand keyboard that a case.
The combo touch alleviated all those issues ... I like the rugged case portion of the show, aaaaahhhhh those shortcut keys, I feel like the keyboard is quite nice (short throw MX keys like), the trackpad is fantastic for me and I honestly think it works great in my lap (I know a lot complain about that). The only irk I have every now and then is the distance that it sits from you with the keyboard attached ... it's not a huge issue but noticeable. I think this might just me being used to the Smart Folio and in no way a dal breaker.
Like most when I originally got my 2018 iPad pro I immediately thought "Magic Keyboard" but I was just one of those few didn't like using it. I mean the keyboard is great an I loved the extra USB C connector but I loathed having to pop it off the case anytime I needed it to be a bit more dynamic than in static portrait mode and always found the lack of shortcut keys as a big downer.
I enjoyed the Smart Keyboard Folio but missed a trackpad, those shortcut keys again and the lack of protection as it was more a kickstand keyboard that a case.
The combo touch alleviated all those issues ... I like the rugged case portion of the show, aaaaahhhhh those shortcut keys, I feel like the keyboard is quite nice (short throw MX keys like), the trackpad is fantastic for me and I honestly think it works great in my lap (I know a lot complain about that). The only irk I have every now and then is the distance that it sits from you with the keyboard attached ... it's not a huge issue but noticeable. I think this might just me being used to the Smart Folio and in no way a dal breaker.
Received mine today for the M1 12.9, very happy with it, great alternative to my white magic keyboard.
Gozar
macrumors regular
Tried the Logitech first, and it is a good product but after picking up a Magic Keyboard I am returning the Logitech. The Combo touch feels heavier and bulky and is not "lapable", I will miss the row of function keys but overall I prefer the Magic Keyboard, I also bought an ESR Magnetic Rebound folio for those times when I don't need a keyboard.
alexcue
macrumors 6502a
Well on the bed, no problem, i actually have more trouble with the MKB because of the limited angle you can adjust it. I'm talking about laying it down on the bed and using it that way. Lap wise, even the MKB gives me fits at times. I just remove it from the case and use it tablet ways. (not horizontal)