iPad Air 2 Keyboard Cases

The thing about your iPad Air 2 is that it is light. Very light. Sleek, even.

The thing about most keyboard cases are that they’re heavy. Clunky, even.

That said, there are plenty of people who DO need keyboards with their iPad. Business users who are writing long emails where typos are extra unprofessional; writers using the iPad for work; anyone who needs to type quickly in a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with the iPad’s built in keyboard, which I can use fairly quickly — but as a touch typist, my speeds are much much higher on a true keyboard.

So I was very pleased to take our two new keyboards cases out and see just how thin they’ve become. Any case is going to add weight to the iPad, but I appreciate cases that add as little as possible without sacrificing form or function.

Both cases are functionally similar — they have good size keys that allow my fingers to rest on the home row without accidentally slipping off to the wrong keys, and (a complaint I’ve had about many iPad keyboards in the past) the space bar is the correct size and position — so I’m not hitting other keys when trying to hit space.

The Logitech Ultrathin keyboard cover is the sleeker of the two, although also less protective. When closed, the keyboard covers your iPad’s screen, but the back of your iPad is exposed. This is the tradeoff for the weight and ease of the case (which attaches to the iPad when closed with a magnetic spine).

One of the things I like best about this case is the little foam corners in the front. These keep your screen above the keys when the case is closed, which helps keep it safe and scratch free. It’s a small detail, but little details tell me that you have a case maker who covers the big details, too.

The Kensington KeyFolio Thin X2 is a full case — your iPad snaps into the back and when closed it keeps the whole iPad covered. You don’t gain a ton of weight as a result — these felt nearly equal in my hands.

The case has a bit of a lip around the edges (again, this keep the keys and the screen more separated), which I worried would feel odd when typing. Luckily, the only place that I even notice it is under my thumbs, and it actually feels like a natural resting place for them.

Want to see how these feel for yourself? Come on in and give them a test drive!