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Logitech has a bulky but functional $150 iPad Pro keyboard

Logitech has a bulky but functional $150 iPad Pro keyboard

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The iPad Pro goes on sale today, and Logitech is right on top of it — the accessory maker has announced two products under the Logi Create banner which it says have been "designed in collaboration with Apple to perfectly complement the aesthetics and features of the new iPad Pro."

The first is called the "Logi Create Backlit Keyboard Case with Smart Connector," and is likely to be of interest to any prospective iPad Pro customers unmoved by Apple's own $169 Smart Keyboard. Unlike the Apple effort, Logitech's keyboard has backlit 19mm keys and a full function row, and it can prop the iPad Pro up at two viewing angles. It also uses the iPad Pro's Smart Connector, meaning it switches on and connects automatically without the need to fiddle with Bluetooth settings.

logi create keyboard case

In testing the iPad Pro, Verge executive editor Walt Mossberg found that he preferred the Logitech keyboard over Apple's, while still considering it somewhat short of what you'd expect from an Apple laptop.

"The Logitech Create keyboard for iPad Pro, by contrast, has real individual keys, is backlit, and has a whole row of iPad shortcut keys. Also, it acts as a full case and is $19 less.

Of the three keyboards I used to write this column, I found that the MacBook Pro was best, the Logitech Create second, and Apple's iPad Pro Smart Keyboard dead last."

Senior editor Lauren Goode, meanwhile, found that the Logitech keyboard's backlighting and extra keys makes it more useful than Apple's Smart Keyboard. However, she describes the product as "not exactly a bargain at $150, and bulkier than Apple's own accessory keyboard." In any case, if you're thinking of ordering an iPad Pro today, you're going to want to think hard about your choice of keyboard.

Logitech is also introducing another iPad Pro product with an unwieldy name, the "Logi Create Protective Case with Any-angle Stand." As you'd expect, this is a case that protects the iPad Pro while also using a flexible hinge that lets you prop it up at any angle. This could be more useful with the iPad Pro than most other devices: as well as more traditional laptop-style positions, Logitech cites the use case of placing the tablet at a slight angle on a flat surface for drawing with the Apple Pencil.

Both the keyboard case and protective case come in black, red, and blue versions, and will be available online and in Apple stores alongside the iPad Pro. The keyboard case costs $149.99 and the protective case is $79.99.

logi create protective case