For the good part of the past three old age , I ’ve had a love - hatred relationship with Apple ’s keyboard accessory , peculiarly the pricy single with the word Magic in their name . They look coolheaded , to this day , all thanks to that magnetically suspend intention . But the build quality and longevity have been lacking .

The story has been middling messy so far , mainly because there have n’t been many comparable alternatives . Logitech ’s keyboard works fine , and it also happens to be cheap , but at the same time , it looks just like another Microsoft Surface aspirer .

As for other keyboard option without a trackpad , well , they simply do n’t cut it for demand workflows . That pass on Apple ’s Magic Keyboard as the only dependable solvent , with all its inherent flaws in tow . Naturally , when Apple bring out the updated interlingual rendition at its big iPad event earlier this yr , I was middling skeptical . Oh , how I was wrong .

DT Editors' Choice

If you ’ve been eying it , I push it through all kinds of scenarios . From furiously typing away a few thousand words to using it for video editing , I used the new Magic Keyboard through all the workflow that I could imagine . What follows is an invoice of using the outfit as my daily driver for a few weeks .

Apple’s new Magic Keyboard is undeniably stylish

There is nothing out there that come close to the updated Magic Keyboard . Period . I am talking about aesthetics as well as build timber . Apple has retained the cantilever design for magnetically seize the iPad to it , but this time , the design is closer to the MacBook .

In fact , it looks and feelsbetterthan myMacBook Air — for two reasons . The combination of silver metal against white keycaps is unequalled across the Apple portfolio ( save for the iMac ) . But what the Magic Keyboard bid is all that sport in a slimmer chassis .

A reduction in weight is also instantly noticeable , and thanks to a standardised discourse apply to the iPad Pro , the combination now feels noticeably lighter compared to the 12.9 - in iPad Pro and its Magic Keyboard .

Two Magic keyboards laid on top of each other.

The metal sides look better and are less risk-prone.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

As far as the cloth goes , it ’s still the same rubberise cloth on both sides , but the grain palpate drier to the touch . What I am well-chosen about is that on the pack of cards share , there ’s one less boulevard for the material peeling off the bound , thanks to the atomic number 13 fabric .

For this review , I catch the white Magic Keyboard , but I ’d debate that the smutty one looks slick as well . What I do n’t care is that the white outside is still as welcoming to dirt slur and grime as its predecessor . It will postulate frequent cleaning with an alcohol - based cleanser and soft fabric .

The 2024 Magic Keyboard’s biggest upgrades

Apple has n’t made any improvements to the key travel or the underlying switch chemical mechanism inside . But if you ’re used to working on a MacBook , you ’ll feel right at home . In my suit , I can dispatch a higher typing speed on the Magic Keyboard than on Apple ’s laptop keyboards .

The most far-famed acclivity for power user is the addition of a full - function key quarrel . A healthy bunch of third - party keyboards have been offering a consecrated row of function keys for a while now . The most well - know model is the Logitech Touch combo keyboard for the iPad . This one not only cost a fraction of what Apple asks you , but also offers a pen holder and , of form , the affair keys . ESR ’s Rebound keyboard also offer this , however , I would have loved a dedicated user - programmable Florida key , the form we get on theiPhone 15 Pro .

I can impinge on a higher typewriting speed on the Magic Keyboard than on Apple ’s laptop keyboard .

Magic keyboard And USB-C ridge.

The ridge sits slightly above the surface.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

Or , possibly , a map button for Siri , similar to what Microsoft mate are doing with a dedicated Copilot cay on laptop . Given the monolithic AI - shoot down overhaul that Apple declare for Siri atWWDC 2024 , the virtual assistant is go to become a core experience across in - star sign and third - political party apps .

gratuitous to say , a consecrated clitoris would certainly have helped , especially for scenario where you ca n’t vocally say the hotword and would rather prefer weightlift a button to call it up . Since that did n’t happen , users will have to long - press on the dictation headstone to muster the practical assistant .

Another far-famed modification is a bigger trackpad . In expound the size of the trackpad , Apple has also paved the agency for a larger decoration rest area . While working with the older configuration , either side of my palms naturally rest alongside the corners of the keyboard deck , and it was not especially uncomfortable .

Comparison of Magic keyboards.

See the difference between the two iterations?Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

On the update version , your thenar well rest on the metallic thenar rest period , thanks to the big country on either side of the trackpad . It ’s cozier and feels closer to what you would get on the MacBook , without the bestow perpendicular height troubling the underside of your wrists .

Subtle refinements, too

While a larger trackpad is a welcome change , you really experience its truthful benefits when drag on and dropping apps , especially across screens . But the tangible upgrade lies under the shabu sheet . or else of clicking , users now just have to press and an railway locomotive underneath will provide the haptic feedback .

The trackpad on the sure-enough Magic Keyboard was n’t really bad . Even though it was quite slim , the push button clicks were quite noisy . On the raw mannikin , it ’s almost tacit . The movements are precise and suave , and multi - finger pat and swipe gestures turn flawlessly . I actually prefer the iPad Pro ’s Magic Keyboard over my MacBook Air .

You might run into a second of a different hands - on experience if you pick the 11 - inch adaptation of the unexampled keyboard . On this version , the Return , Tab , crown Lock , and the right Option keys are smaller compare to what you get on the 13 - inch version .

It ’s not a deal breaker , because I have put to work on the 11 - column inch version for two age without any issues . However , the 13 - in models offer a more MacBook - like experience , which is easier to get used to .

A larger trackpad is a welcome modification .

Apple has made some insidious change , too , aside from the obvious material inspection and repair . For example , there is a thin golosh gasket run around the keyboard deck that is ever so slimly raised and keep the screen from amount in contact with the keycaps .

I ’ve face this return on my Microsoft Surface Go , which pull nasty keycap imprints on the screen that are heavy to get rid of . This was also the case with my 12 - inch Apple MacBook before that .

Still a work in progress

Unfortunately , not all the changes yield a positive outcome . Apple has redesign the central ridgepole at the back , which is now exposed and flattened liken to the cylindrical unit of measurement we get on the previous - generation Magic Keyboard .

The exposed ridge on the 2024 iteration is topped off with a chrome finish , go out it vulnerable to scratches and mule . So far , mine has stay in a relatively pristine state , but I would powerfully give notice against going ranger and I would always keep the iPad Pro - Magic Keyboard fabrication in a arm .

Another drawback is that the secondary USB - degree Celsius port on the ridgeline is , once again , exclusively for burden . It wo n’t allow information carry-over . Thankfully , it wo n’t slow down down the turn on pace . Using a USB - C cable with a presentation unit , I measure 30 - W   charge production via this accessory embrasure , which is slenderly slower than the peak value of what the iPad Pro ’s USB - C port allows .

On the topic of drawback , here ’s an infuriating one . The keyboard backlight turns on and off automatically establish on the environment . you’re able to adjust its brightness , but you ca n’t toggle it on or off . It ’s an awkward design option , but it likely has to do with shorten the power draw .

Let ’s turn over to the back , and specifically , the metallic ridge holding the two half together . The secondary USB - C port , which is now positioned vertically ( alongside the X - axis ) makes it a shade more difficult to plug in a cable compared to the vertical inlet on the honest-to-god version .

One big, glaring issue

The big flaw is consociate with resting land ergonomics . If you ’re tapping on the screen or drawing on it with the Apple Pencil , specially in the upper one-half , the whole meeting place rock and want to topple over . I would strongly evoke that before you bribe one that you get your hands on it at a nearby retail computer memory and jibe if your projection screen interaction would precede to a frequent rocking motion .

For project like dealing with skidder using the Apple Pencil , you will want to take the pad of paper off and into your hands , or put it on a board . It ’s that annoying . Of course , the top - heavy nature of the whole setup is to blame here , but that ’s not the sole ground .

You see , the flattened rooftree does n’t sit completely affluent when in contact with the flat airfoil on which the Magic Keyboard is resting , leave a very small vertical gap that admit it to rock back and off . On the previous - generation Magic Keyboard , the cylindrical flexible joint was in contact with the open , even though the touch area was modest , which lead to a importantly smaller degree of rocking movement .

The payoff is particularly noticeable when you essay to mold with the Magic Keyboard in your lap — you lie with , like a laptop . To keep the whole kit steady , you will need to direct a vigilant eye on either side of the trackpad and ensure you use even force per unit area to not just keep it balanced , but to also prevent it from toppling over .

For someone like me — whose problem entails typing articles and redact sensitive with the Apple Pencil all day long , essentially treating the setup like a laptop — this is a pattern fault that I ca n’t quite get retiring with ease . But there is also an engineering caution here that answers the lack of backward compatibility .

Given the frail weight proportionality of this motorcar , grant the heavy senior - coevals iPad Pro to hang atop the magnetic cantilever panel would certainly aggravate the rocking problem . That seems to be the reason why the update keyboard is exclusive to the newer — and lighter — model .

Apple Magic Keyboard 2024 price and availability

The 2024 Magic Keyboard is available now only for the 2024 iPad Pro . The 11 - column inch version toll $ 299 while the 13 - inch size of it goes up to $ 349 . It ’s available in black and white colouration .

you could buy the raw Magic Keyboard from all of the usual spot you could get Apple products — including Apple ’s web site , Amazon , Best Buy , etc .

Should you buy the 2024 Magic Keyboard?

The new Magic Keyboard is a very curious gadget . At best , I can call it an indulgence . It ’s unlike anything else out there , and that , in itself , makes for a compelling proposition . But is that compelling enough to expend $ 349 on it ? If it ’s really caught your fancy , and you wo n’t finger the financial pinch , you wo n’t regret the binge .

Everything is fantastic here . Well , almost . It ’s a morsel topple - loving , still contract dirty , and that secondary USB port is only good enough for charge . On the incontrovertible side , the build timber is howling and it looks better than any Cartesian product in Apple ’s card .

Everything is grotesque here .

As a keyboard , your finger will love it , unless your digits have grown to love low - profile mechanically skillful switching . I wo n’t recommend the Magic Keyboard to folk shopping for a keyboard guinea pig for their iPads , chiefly because it ’s one heck of an expensive alternative .

But if you plan to labour it as a workhorse for at least a few year — like I think to do — go ahead and get one . Just do n’t blank out to put a skin on it . Dbrand ’s hydro - drip mold skins look terrific , and so does its black steel texture selection , so you might want to start there .