I constantly test Different iPad cases. When I’m done, I always return to the Logitech Combo Touch. With an adjustable kicking and a detachable keyboard, it has everything I need. The ZAGG Pro Keys 2 boils to many of the capabilities of the Logitech accessibility, but at a lower price, so I was excited to try it, and thought I might have found a new favorite. Unfortunately, it falls short.

It is not entirely identical to the Logitech case -it is much more protective, with a folio cover that serves as a kicking stand (with adjustable angles) and a detachable keyboard sitting in between. There is no railway page – which means I have to pack a mouse or constantly lift my finger to the screen – and the entire setup is heavy and clump. At $ 150 it is one of the more affordable iPad Pro keyboard cases. But its defects are annoying enough that the lower price may not matter.

Protective but chonky

The Pro Keys 2 I test is specifically built for the 13-inch iPad Pro (M4, 2024), although you can also buy it for the 11-inch iPad Pro (M4), as well as the 13 and 11- Inch iPad Air (M2). It consists of two pieces: the case and the keyboard.

Click the keyboard using the magnets and you can use the iPad Pro like a laptop. The setup looks more modern than the first generation of pro-keys, with square instead of round keys (which I prefer) and back tax-with the option to bike between colors such as green, blue and red. There are light bulbs under each key, so it’s bright enough to type in darker environments. But parts of the keyboard (such as the side keys and feature rice keys) shine brighter than the QWERTY keys, so the lighting feels uneven. It doesn’t seem that the brightness with the Backlight key doesn’t make much of a difference. Zagg also added more area under the keyboard to let your palms rest while tapping.

Photo: Brenda Stolyar

It is comfortable to typing for long periods (I used it to type in this review), although a track road would have been the cherry on top, especially since there is enough space (the first-gen model has a trackpad version). Although I have been using the matter for a few weeks, I still find myself accidentally to the middle to wipe an imaginary track from the habit. The keyboard is Bluetooth connected, so you have to connect it to the iPad (you can connect to two devices) and load it. Zagg claims for up to one year of battery life, so you don’t have to worry about constantly turning it into.

The second generation version has a slot on the side of the Apple pencil rather than a valve to keep it in place. It is much more aesthetically pleasant, but I wish Zagg would suit it. Instead, it is of the same clear rubber as the bumper around the iPad and looks cheap. The bumper also runs under the slot, but it will not get in the way of wireless drawer.

This matter feels super protective, so much that it feels like many of the robust cases I tested. In addition to the rubber edges, the rest of the case of plastic with a soft, mat is felt. The folio cover can be folded back into a stand and adjusted to two corners. It was good to watch TV (it was sturdy enough to stay upright on the bench without falling) and for use as a laptop. But it doesn’t offer as many angles as a kicking stand.