Skip to main content

Logitech’s new iPad keyboard case has a four-year battery life

Logitech’s new iPad keyboard case has a four-year battery life

/

One of the benefits of using non-rechargeable batteries

Share this story

Logitech’s new Slim Folio
Logitech’s new Slim Folio
Image: Logitech via 9to5Mac

Logitech makes some of the best iPad accessories out there, but its new Slim Folio keyboard case for the 9.7-inch iPad has one particularly eye-catching feature: a four-year battery life.

That’s because the Slim Folio uses replaceable coin batteries (like those you’d find in a wristwatch), instead of the usual rechargeable lithium-ion cells. This, combined with a low-power Bluetooth 4.0 connection to pair the Slim Folio to its tablet, means you can use it for two hours a day and expect it to keep on chugging for four years. That means you’ll probably replace your iPad before your replace the Slim Folio’s batteries.

(A reader has pointed out that this isn’t the first Logitech accessory to use coin batteries and boast a four-year battery life: the chunky Blok keyboard case offers the same.)

1/3

Battery life aside, though, the Slim Folio looks practical rather than sleek. The non-backlit keyboard has a standard layout, with a row of iOS hot keys on top. You can fold over the back of the case to prop up your iPad like a laptop (it fixes in place with magnets), but the stand only has one angle, and the keyboard is non-detachable. The Slim Folio is 0.79 inches thick and weighs only 0.96 pounds, meaning it won’t add too much bulk to your tablet, but it’s hardly the most attractive keyboard case out there.

9to5Mac says the Slim Folio will go on sale for $99, which isn’t a bad price if the keyboard is good enough for daily use. We’ll have to wait to get our hands on a review unit to find out more, but if Logitech’s claims are true, we’ll never find out if the Slim Folio can run out of battery.