Plugable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad, iPhones, Android, and Windows, Full-Size Multi-Device Keyboard, Wireless and Portable with Included Stand (11.5 inches) Upgraded Version of BT-KEY3

As a writer, I've been looking for a good keyboard to use with my iPhone. After trying several and a lot of research, I settled on the full-size Plugable Bluetooth folding keyboard. I bought it back in May 2016 to use with my iPhone, and it along with the iOS app Scrivener has changed when and where I can work. The verdict? I'm loving it! PROS * The full-sized keyboard has keys right where you expect them to be. I haven't had any issues with the keys being too close together or big fingers hitting two keys at once. Having a full-sized keyboard means I didn't have to compromise on functionality. * Small compact size when folded: The keyboard folds up three-ways to a nice compact size that fits well in a purse or to-go bag. * The battery life is great. I've done hours worth of writing and it still has a great charge. Haven't run it out yet! * Nice response/feel to the keys. * The full-sized keyboard is the perfect size and great for touch typists. I had no issues at all transitioning from using a regular keyboard or a laptop keyboard to this one. I love that I can seamlessly go from one keyboard to the next without having to remember different key placements. * Does not drop the Bluetooth connection. It's been rock-solid for me. * Syncs up fast to my iPhone. * Haven't had any issues with dropped characters when typing at up to 70 WPM (approximate). * Carry case folds out to create a platform to prop up your phone or tablet, and is held in place by built-in magnets. * Great affordable price! * Nice solid construction. Most of it is made out of metal and not flimsy plastic. The keyboard has been in my purse, bags, computer bags, and it just keeps on working. * Responsive manufacturer. They sent an email after purchase to ensure it was working well and to offer any help if needed. CONS (sorta) * It will add some weight to the purse, but I don't think it's too much. Much of the keyboard is built out of metal, and I do like how durable it has made the keyboard. * No locking mechanism once unfolded. When not on an even surface it will want to fold back up. However, I have been able to use it on my lap if I keep my legs together. I just have to be careful not to pound the keys, so I'm able to offset the problem with how I type. A few additional details about the keyboard: Weight: 10 oz without the case and 16 oz with the case. Size when folded: 4.75 x 6.5 x 0.6 in without case, and 5.0 x 6.6 x 0.9 in with the case. Keyboard size when open: 11.5 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches You won't regret trying this portable keyboard. :)

The Search A few months ago I started a long search for an ideal portable keyboard that would work with tablets and other mobile devices. I needed something that would provide a good typing experience, would be solid in construction, and would be portable. All of my experience with portable keyboards came during this search in various stores and online, as previously I have only used desktop and laptop keyboards. My ideal imaginary keyboard would be like the Logitech Solar keyboards, but in a smaller form-factor (without the 10-key), with a way to protect the keys, and Bluetooth for maximum connectivity support (ie no need for a USB dongle taking up a spare port). And since I’m a touch-typist, the keys needed to be big enough and spaced enough that I wouldn’t have to hunt and peck. The Challengers There were several potential winners I narrowed my search down to, including the Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard, Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810, and the myriad clones of the folding keyboard produced by such companies as Jorno, Plugable, EC Technology, iClever, 1byone, TOZO, Oldshark, etc (seriously, there are dozens of clones). The Microsoft one apparently was having a problem with the charger, so Amazon stopped selling them until it got fixed. And the Logitech one was hard to come by. But the clones of the foldable keyboard were plentiful. Unfortunately, the folding keyboard clones all had the same problems with their design as mentioned by reviewers: * The number keys were off-set from a standard keyboard, making touch-typing the numbers difficult. * The right Shift key was separated by the Up arrow key, making using it tricky. * The wings floated off the table, such that if you typed a key on one of the wings, the whole keyboard would rock up. * You can’t type with it on your lap because the wings will fold up on you. While hemming and hawing about pulling the trigger and buying one anyway (what could it hurt? They’re pretty inexpensive), I discovered an option in the listing for the one by Plugable that I hadn’t noticed before: a “Full-Size” version! It turns out that Plugable took the original cloned design and up-scaled it to be an uncompromising full-size keyboard (and who knows, other clone makers may clone this version too). So I decided to take the plunge! The Review First of all, I am very impressed with the quality of this keyboard. All of the physical components are solid, the folding mechanism works perfectly with the magnets providing just the right resistance to keep it closed without feeling I need to pry it apart to open, and even the cover is well built and functional (something I didn’t initially care about, but turned out to be more useful than I expected). When I said this keyboard is uncompromising, I wasn’t kidding. All the keys are exactly where they are supposed to be at 100% scale. In fact, the physical layout of the keys is identical to a Macbook Pro (even if they’re not labeled the same). It feels so much like typing on a laptop keyboard that I keep instinctively reaching for a mouse or track pad. The only difference is that typing on it is slightly louder just because it doesn’t have the mass of a laptop to absorb the impact of keystrokes, allowing the taps to echo down to the typing surface. While it doesn’t offer the *click-clack* of mechanical switches, it’s also no good for a spy to use to send secret messages back to base. Folded up, it’s roughly the size of 2 phones side-by-side. While I can technically fit it into my front pants pocket, it’s awkwardly large. It’s much more suitable to store in a coat pocket, or wherever you stash your tablet. Borrowing some devices from work, I was able to successfully pair it with an iPad mini, iPhone 6 Plus, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Macbook Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, and my personal Galaxy Tab S2 9.7” and Galaxy Note 3. The pairing was quick and easy and all the unique dedicated keys worked across devices (like “Home”, “Select All”, “Cut”, “Copy”, “Paste”, etc). The range is also impressive, as when I started taking photos of the keyboard for this review across the room (over 15’ away) from the tablet it was paired with, I accidentally hit a key that launched something on the tablet. And I don’t think it was intentional, but there is a slight outward bowing of the wings when extended that gives the keyboard an almost ergonomic curve. For the tablet I went with (Galaxy Tab S2 9.7”) I got a cover that could be folded over to use as a 3-position stand. However, it only acts as a stand in landscape orientation; convenient for watching videos, but not as nice for writing. The included keyboard cover doesn’t care about orientation (or device), which means I can type in any orientation I want. It also has a little pull-out lip so you can lower the angle of the device you’re using. The cover is a nice addition that I didn’t really need, but is handy to have. I’m still in the first couple weeks of owning this keyboard and haven’t had much of a chance to really use it, so I can’t comment on its longevity, or its travel convenience. But my first impressions are very favorable. This review is probably the most I’ve written with it so far. With regards to the common complaints about the smaller version of this keyboard: * The number keys are exactly where they should be. * The right shift is exactly where it should be, with the possible detriment being that the arrow keys have been shrunk to make room, but that’s fairly common among all keyboards. * The keyboard is massive enough, and there’s enough flex in the wings, that the slight downward drop the wings experience when you type on an edge key doesn’t tip the whole keyboard. * The slightly larger size allows the keyboard to fit on your lap in a pinch, as long as you keep your knees together such that they support the hinges of the keyboard. Oh, and the box even has a “Thank You” in Klingon. :) Things to Improve The easiest thing Plugable could do to improve this keyboard is to print the alternate key designations for the various formats (Android vs iOS vs OSX). Right now only the Windows designations are printed and you have to guess the alternates for the other OSes. This should only affect a few keys that are different across platforms. This can help with the confusion as some of the keys don’t match the positioning you would expect, like on OSX. The next simple thing would be to allow the joints to relax just a tad bit more so that the wings of the keyboard actually do lay all the way down against the typing surface. Alternatively, add tiny foot pads to the edges so that they come into contact with the typing surface in order to eliminate the flex of the wings when typing.

I just gave my superb plugable COMPACT keyboard to my 17 y/o daughter, whose small hands are perfectly matched, while my fat fingers just wouldn't fit. The full-sized plugable keyboard, on the other hand, looks and feels exactly like my laptop keyboard, syncs very easily and instantly to my Ipad and iphone, and allows me to use my ipad for almost everything I otherwise would be using my laptop for, including powerpoint presentations, imessanging, full e-mails, and formal word-processing. The plugable built-in tablet/phone magnetic stand works perfectly with both full- and compac-sized keyboards, and the plugable keyboards open and snap together smartly and securely for easy pocket transport or shelf storage, and the both seem extremely durable. Both plugable keyboards have an ENTER key, rather than a formal RETURN key. For most purposes the differences are inconsequential, but when typing iMessenges, the ENTER key is actually a SEND key by default. Thus touch typists will "send" their iMessenges, when they are simply trying to add a line/paragraph return. However, ALT + ENTER will input the correct line return without "sending" incomplete texts, so no sweat. Related, the COMPACT plugable keyboard has a Fn + CTRL combo that will open up the ipad's on-screen touch keyboard so its various features can be used. The FULL-SIZED keyboard does not have that option. However, hitting Fn + C on the full-sized keyboard breaks the bluetooth pair temporarily, so the on-screen keyboard instantly appears and is fully-touch functional. Another Fn + C and the on-screen keyboard drops away and the keyboard is instantly re-paired....six one way, half-a-dozen the other. Finally, the layout of the FULL-SIZED keyboard is virtually exactly like a laptop keyboard, so the right sided shift key is NOT spacially blocked by the up-arrow key, as on the compact keyboard.....i.e. no new learning curve for touch typist othetwise having to work around an awkwardly placed SHIFT key. All in all, the FULL-SIZED plugable keyboard was just what I was looking for, and my laptop is rarely needed anymore. The only thing I dislike in general about bluetooth keyboards is that they all lie flat, rather than angled slightly upward towards the typist, as desktop keyboards do. Adding two adjustable tilting feet to the top of these foldable keyboards would be a really nice touch. Overall, however my plugable full-sized folding keyboard is just what the doctor ordered.

EDIT: If this keyboard is plugged into a USB port on my desktop system, the system will not fully enter sleep mode, this a hardware (or possibly firmware) BUG. This is the only device I have seen that prevents sleep mode in this computer (Win10 x64). Not going into sleep mode is especially bothersome as the desktop enters a state such that it will not wake without a power down. Normally my system takes only seconds to exit sleep mode, it takes noticeably longer to actually reboot than to exit sleep as well as the concern that the desktop data will be lost. A _keyboard_ of all things should _not_ prevent sleep. I have to say this this: at first, the Plugable keyboard would not pair, pressing Fn+C (Bluetooth pair function) did nothing. I discovered that after I had pressed Fn+Q (android key map select) would pressing Fn+C actually put the keyboard into Bluetooth pairing (unnecessarily confusing and annoying). Probably it would have also worked to have first pressed Win or IOS style key maps (Fn+W, Fn+E respectively).. There are many useful reviews that I mostly agree with and wont reiterate here. My special case is that I want to use a keyboard with a Note 7 to take class notes. But I need to have both the keyboard and Note 7 in my lap (no table/desk). At this point I've narrowed it to the Logitech K830 and the Plugable. The Plugable is definitely *great* for compactness/fold-ability but the down side is that it tends to fold when you put in on your lap. I find that if I set a mouse pad in my lap and the Plugable on the mouse pad that folding is mostly avoided (though extra stuff to carry). The K830 is not folding so it lays nicely in my lap and it also has the track pad to the side which while not absolutely necessary, is just plain helpful. To match that with the Plugable I can use the note stylus on the screen though that requires more motion (a mouse just wont work in my lap). The key mapping on the Plugable is not as android friendly as the K830 either (e.g. no real K830 like home key that I can find). I do like the Plugable dual purpose keyboard cover & tablet stand a lot. If you can use Plugable on a flat surface (table) with a mouse then it is a very nice easy to use keyboard (I can even game with the Plugable though it tends to slide). The hinges don't bother me at all, but for me It doesn't work that well in my lap. I am sure that this was not a substantial design requirement for the Plugable whereas for the K830 it was as it is designed to be used for an integrated TV on a couch and consequently work better in my lap. Unlike the K830, the Plugable is not illuminated. To sum it up the Plugable is a very nice and cleverly designed keyboard, essentially full size (as compared to my Roccat TKL),with normally spaced and sized keys that are easy to type on with good key stroke feel, amazingly compact when folded and with a superb keyboard cover doubling as a tablet/phone stand. If using such a keyboard on a table/desk/etc. is what you need, you can't go wrong. It's an amazing feat of design and well implemented.

This is the absolute best portable bluetooth keyboard - folding or non-folding - that I've found. It is exactly the same size, key spacing and key layout as my laptop's keyboard, so there is no learning curve for my fingers as I switch back and forth between using my PC or using my tablet. This allows me to touch type at full speed without having to make any adjustments. The keys have a nice amount of travel and good feel. It feels like a high-quality keyboard and not like a mushy piece of rubber. The right side shift key, enter key, backspace key and caps lock key are all full sized - something of a rarity in portable keyboards. All four cursor keys are the same size, unlike some keyboards that have two of the cursor keys shrunk to almost nothing. There are fold-out legs for the sides. This extra support keeps the keyboard firm when typing. It sits securely and doesn't bounce or slide around while in use. As a bonus, the cover converts into a deluxe stand. Once opened into its triangular format, a magnet strongly holds everything in place, so you don't have to worry about it collapsing while you are using it. The stand can hold pretty much any tablet or phone in both landscape and portrait orientation - even while in a case. The lip that holds devices in place can slide out both to accommodate thicker devices and to allow you to change the angle that your phone or tablet is held at. The battery lasts a long time between charges. And you can use it while it's charging. Another bonus is that, for computers without bluetooth, you can plug this keyboard into a USB port. When being used as a USB keyboard, the battery is also charging. As is common with portable keyboards, there are no dedicated PgUp, PgDn, Home or End keys. These functions are accessed by combining the Fn key with a cursor key. This is not marked on the keys nor mentioned in the manual. Unlike some big name, much more expensive portable bluetooth keyboards, this mode DOES allow you to do shift/ctrl/alt combined with PgUp/PgDn/Home/End. Some other keyboards don't support sufficient "key rollover" to recognize when more than two keys are pressed at the same time! The keyboard also has (via Fn) Print screen and Insert, something missing from many portable keyboards. On the phones and tablets that I've tried this keyboard with, the dedicated copy, cut and paste keys work as advertised. While there are volume up and down keys, there is no mute key in the current version. Personally, I would prefer a mute key instead of having a lock key. On the plus side, you can use the lock key to wake up your Android device as well as locking it. If the Caps Lock LED doesn't light when paired with a phone or tablet, it's not broken. The LED is controlled by the PC/phone/tablet that the keyboard is paired with (as with all normal keyboards), not by pressing the Caps Lock key. If you pair it with a regular computer, you should find that this LED works fine. BTW - Alt-Tab allows you to switch between apps on most Android devices. Additionally, depending on your Android device, there are shortcuts to browser, email, etc. available. The only possible negative thing I can say about this keyboard is a limitation imposed by its being foldable - the keyboard lays flat on the table without any incline. Other than this one issue, I would say that this is a perfect keyboard.

My initial take on this is it is a decent large keyboard. I have the small model from 1byOne but it appears the small model is sold and branded by dozens of sellers including Plug-able Technologies. The small version has one major flaw that makes it unusable. The right shift key is the size of a single key and not oversize like normal. The ? key is oversize so that the arrow keys line up. While this sounds good for the arrow keys it kills the small keyboards usability. If they would correct that it would make it a perfect little keyboard. This keyboard is setup like a full size keyboard should be and I can type fairly well on it. The keys are the right size and right position. The only complaint I would have is that they did not mark some of the function keys. For instance fnc(right arrow) is end of line and left arrow is front of line. fnc Up and down arrows are start of paragraph and end of paragraph. There is a delete key so you can delete from the start of a word instead of having to go to the end and backspace. The tactile feel of the keyboard is pretty good. It feels like you are hitting keys but you don't have to pound them. The build quality is decent. The larger version the ends seem to sag a little where on the small one they don't move at all. Update: I found there are fold down braces on the edges to account for this (maybe and instruction manual would help). Size wise this is much bigger than the small version. As I indicated the small version is perfect except for the left shift key. The small version is 3.5 by 10 inches while the full size one is 4.5 x 11.5 inches. Folded you have 3.5 x 5.75 vs 4.5 x 6.5. The large keyboard is actually thinner but not by much. The small version would fit in a front pocket while the large one wont. The large one comes with a case. The case fits around the folded keyboard and the ends are open but it will not slide out. The case folds into a stand to hold your tablet. Most tablet cases do this anyway so it is not that worth while, With my tablet case on the cover folded to the back it fits easily in the stand. My case is not very thick and anything rugged might be to big for the default height. There is a slide that comes out to allow you to have your tablet at different angles. This would pretty much allow for any case to remain on the tablet. The with is 5/8 inch with the tab pushed in and 1.5 inches when the tab is pulled out. The case stand feels very sturdy and is held in place with a magnet. I tried typing on my lap. There are no locks on the keyboard so it folds up. It does have to be on a hard surface. When my legs were together it worked fine but that was not comfortable. Overall this is good for typing on a table or even a planes tray. I think a lap desk would work well also. It is small enough to throw in with the tablet in a brief case or hand bag. So far I am happy with it I just wish they had fixed the flaw in the smaller version. Update 9/20. I still like the keyboard. One of my complaints was that it was a little weak towards the far sides and bent down when typing. Something I thought was just a design actually folds down as an outer stand. Thus the edges are supported and it is not an issue. Directions might have been nice. Maybe a picture showing it.

Literally did not work out of the box. I cannot recommend whatsoever. The blue light blinked like the instructions said but I got pairing errors on both my iPad and my laptop. It couldn’t even work on my laptop using the USB connection. Awful product.

I bought this expecting to see many trade-offs for portability. The only downside I could find was that the keyboard doesn't have a hinge lock, and that I had to press 3 buttons to alt+f4. Neither issue affected my everyday functionality as the hinge lock would only matter if I used it on uneven surfaces (like my legs) and the f key is a small annoyance. One thing I didn't really consider before buying (but lucked out) is the layout of the hinge keys. Most folding keyboards shove the keys near the hinge to either side of the gap and thus the keys end up smaller than usual and misaligned. This wreaks absolute havoc on muscle memory and hurts typing speed. This keyboard does not do that - the keys are staggered over the hinge and the layout is like a normal keyboard. I consider myself a pretty fast typist and I haven't found my speed to have suffered at all on this thing. It's also way better than the keyboard on any laptop I've ever had. Other pros: The travel height of the keys is pretty substantial for a portable keyboard. The construction feels very solid and durable. The connection is micro-usb (egh) but it does come with a cable and works just like a regular wired keyboard when connected. There are mini legs on either side you can flip up to create just enough height to make it comfortable. Comes with a case/stand for your phone/tablet and the case does look good as advertised. Tested on pc, laptop, Steam deck. I use a mechanical keyboard at home but I bought this while I was traveling and put this thing through the wringer for several weeks of full-time use and found it far more functional than I had expected. It's basically a regular full-sized keyboard without the numpad. Where I used to look at my laptop keyboard and thought "nah, I'll just write that email when I get home", I have no issues getting work done on this thing. While I still prefer my mechanical keyboard, I can't say I truly missed it. Yeah, the price is steep, but you basically get a real regular keyboard that fits easily in your backpack. If you're looking for something small that fits in your pocket, you'll have to deal with weird layouts and messing up muscle memory. If you're looking for a full-sized portable keyboard with very few compromises, I don't think you can do much better than this one.

Absolutely love this keyboard. Very portable and very robust construction. I take it everywhere I go and use it for my phone and tablet. I also use it for my PS5 when I am at home.

Maybe better than typing on iPad glass but only just. Not recommended for touch typist