When Apple launched the iPad Pro, it emphasized the use of the iPad Pro for professional work, including screen specifications and performance. To be honest, the iPad Pro can compete with the mainstream performance laptops on the market today (of course, the software support is also important. is another matter). However, only in the field of text input, the built-in on-screen keyboard of the iPad Pro is indeed not a very good input method, so an external keyboard has become a necessary option for the iPad Pro to input a large amount of text. What Chen Ba is going to try out this time is Logitech's Combo Touch keyboard case for the new iPad Pro 11-inch. It not only provides a touch feel close to a laptop keyboard, but also provides a larger size than the original smart control keyboard accessories. A trackpad, more complete protection, and of course a relatively cheap price.

●Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case unboxing and appearance

In fact, this is not the first product of Logitech Combo Touch. Previously, Logitech launched the first-generation Combo Touch keyboard case product for the previous 10.5-inch iPad Pro. It not only provided a full-size keyboard, Apple Pencil stylus storage design, but also There was the AD9985AKSTZ-140 trackpad design that Apple's original keyboard style smart double-sided clip did not have at that time, and this new version of the Combo Touch keyboard case not only retains the above advantages, but also increases the trackpad area, and provides Apple Pencil 2's magnetic power supply support design.

Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case box front.

Instructions on the front of the box include having a touchpad, a detachable keyboard, supporting the 11-inch iPad Pro, and having the keyboard layout printed in Traditional Chinese.

Below is the condition of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case in use.

The back of the box is a description of the main features of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case, including four main usage modes, keyboard backlight, quick-response trackpad, iOS shortcut keys, no pairing cable, and adjustable angle support bracket. design.

Pull out the blue tab on the box to remove the inner packaging.

The package contents of the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case, including the tablet case (left), the keyboard cover (middle), and the instruction manual (right).

Next, directly install the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case with the iPad Pro to see the actual situation after matching.

The condition of the iPad Pro 11-inch with the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case installed.

The Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is made of elastic plastic material with a thickness of about 2mm, which provides a certain degree of protection. The part close to the screen has a softer edge design, which is convenient for users to "tuck in" the iPad Pro when installing. .

Because of the less material at the opening, the frame will be softer.

In the actual situation after the iPad Pro is installed, the position of the hole is accurate.

The corners that are easy to collide are formed in one piece to improve the strength. This part is not easy to twist with a hand wrench. In addition, it can be seen that there are protrusions on the power button and the volume button.

After installing the iPad Pro, the power and volume buttons correspond to the status, and the feedback of pressing and rebounding is bright.

The base of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is made of rigid plastic for more solid support. In addition, corresponding contacts are also designed at the positions of the iPad Pro Smart Connector contacts to transmit the input signal of the keyboard cover.

The back section of the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case features a woven fabric-covered surface.

The back of the iPad Pro with it installed.

Close-up of the woven fabric covered on the back.

The camera module opening of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case has a certain thickness to reduce the chance of the lens rubbing against the desktop when laying flat on the desktop.

A close-up of the camera part after the iPad Pro is installed.

Look at the thickness of the opening of the camera module from a side angle.

The Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case also provides an adjustable stand design on the back this time, which can be directly opened to prop up the tablet for use.

With the back stand of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case open.

The smallest opening angle from the side provides an upright position of approximately 75 ?

The maximum angle at which the stand is opened can provide a lay-flat position of approximately 20°.

In the storage part of the Apple Pencil, the previous generation used a fixed pen sleeve design, but with the second-generation Apple Pencil using a magnetic charging design, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case has switched to the side digging method this time, so that the The Apple Pencil can directly absorb the iPad Pro for charging, but it cannot provide a stable Apple Pencil storage method. In this part, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is a step backward.

This generation of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case provides magnetic charging for the second-generation Apple Pencil by digging holes on the side.

Connected to the second-generation Apple Pencil.

●Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case keyboard cover

Next, let's look at the biggest feature of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case: the upper cover of the keyboard not only uses a full-size key design in the main key part, but also uses a scissor foot structure in the key structure, allowing the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case to be tapped. The feeling is not lost to the general notebook keyboard, and even when paired with an enlarged touchpad, the operating experience is no different from that of a notebook computer.

The top cover of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case has a 6-row, 78-key layout with a trackpad underneath.

The back of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard cover is also covered with a woven fabric material.

The top cover of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is magnetically fixed with three signal contacts on the top.

It is connected to the metal contacts at the bottom of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case, and the Smart Connector is used to connect the transmission signal and power supply. Once connected, it can be used directly without pairing via Bluetooth or charging the keyboard separately.

The close-up of the keys of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case adopts a separate key + scissor foot structure. Although the stroke is shallow due to the thickness limit, it has a fairly clear feedback response in terms of the percussion feel, which is very close to Apple's original factory. Control the touch feeling of the keyboard.

Key comparison of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case (right) and Apple's original Smart Control keyboard (left).

Logitech also provides a backlight design for the key part of the Combo Touch keyboard case, which is convenient for users to use in dimly lit situations.

The key backlight design of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case (left) is compared to Apple's original Smart Control keyboard (right). The back light of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case not only displays fonts, but also shows through the edges of the keys.

This time, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case still has the design of iOS shortcut keys on the top row of the keyboard, including Home button, screen brightness adjustment, virtual keyboard on/off, search, button backlight adjustment, multimedia control, volume, screen lock and other quick functions.

The size of the touchpad is also larger than that of the previous generation, reaching 112 x 57 mm, which is also much larger than that of Apple's original keyboard, and supports multi-touch.

See the difference in trackpad size and keyboard layout between the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case (right) and Apple's original Smart Keyboard (left) from above.

The enlarged touchpad design is indeed more unrestricted in multi-touch operation.

After adding the keyboard cover, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case and Chen Ba's own iPad Pro 11-inch weighs 1030g.

The actual experience of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case

Chen Ba also actually used the iPad Pro 11-inch M1 version with the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case, and compared it with the original Apple's original smart keyboard. The following points are divided into several points to tell you about the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard. Advantages and disadvantages of protective cases:

First of all, in the context of using a keyboard with a large amount of text input, excluding the input method problem of iOS itself, in fact, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is very similar to the Apple's original smart control keyboard in terms of tapping feel, and the feedback depth is shallow. The trigger is also lighter, but the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case has a slightly stronger rebound and is stickier to hit, but the difference is not significant.

The Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case has a keyboard-like feel that is close to that of a laptop.

In addition, in the touchpad operation part, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case has an enlarged touchpad design. For men with larger palms, it is more suitable for single-handed multi-touch operations. Previously, the smaller touchpads on the smart keyboard were used. The control panel is always stuck to the edge when operating, and it becomes more common to use the index fingers of both hands to perform gesture operations. On the trackpad of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case, it is more able to return to the operation gestures on the MacBook trackpad.

However, the biggest difference between the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case and Apple's original smart keyboard is in the stand design. After the Apple's original smart keyboard is opened, the iPad Pro will rise a certain height, while the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is It is more like the way of Microsoft Surface Pro, the bottom is flat on the desktop, and there is a slight drop in the line of sight when typing, but the bracket design of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case can provide a relatively free display angle adjustment. Apple's original The factory-controlled keyboard basically only provides a single operating angle.

The difference between the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case (left) and Apple's original Smart Keyboard (right) after opening.

The Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case provides more freedom of display angle adjustment.

In addition, the way of fixing the keyboard is also another big difference. Apple's original Smart Control keyboard is designed to be connected by a hinge on the back cover and the keyboard. On an unstable plane (such as placing it on the lap or sitting in a car) When used), it can also provide a more stable fixed-angle use state, but the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard cover is fixed by a magnetic suction method that cannot fix the angle, so it needs a more stable desktop to place it, plus the use of The forward-opening design requires a little more work area than the original Apple Smart Control keyboard. If there is a chance to temporarily place it on the thigh or use it when moving, you need to adapt to this.

From the side, the working area of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case (left) and Apple's original Smart Keyboard (right) need to be different.

Of course, the magnetic keyboard cover design of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard cover still has its advantages: when used as a tablet computer with handheld touch, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard cover can be directly removed from the keyboard cover for handheld tablet operation, while Apple The original Smart Control keyboard needs to dismantle the entire iPad Pro for handheld tablet operation. At this time, the iPad Pro will be in an unprotected state. The design of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard protective case is beneficial in this part, but Chen Ba is more I hope Logitech can provide a design that flips the keyboard cover to the back, so that you don't even have to remove the keyboard cover.

●Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case trial experience

As far as a protective case accessory with keyboard/touchpad input function is concerned, the main functions of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case can indeed achieve the required functions: a protective case design with a certain degree of protection, and acceptable keyboard strokes. Feeling, enlarged touchpad size, adjustable screen display angle, and a much cheaper price than the original smart keyboard (suggested price of 6690 yuan), to be honest, if you really want to use the iPad Pro To achieve a notebook-like operating feel, the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is actually quite worth considering.

However, the shortcoming of the new version of the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case is the lack of a fixing mechanism for the Apple Pencil. After all, the previous generation already had a pen holder design, but this generation only digs a hole for direct adsorption, which feels a bit unreasonable. Like some protective cases on the market, it would be better to design a pen holder on the side of the magnetic attraction.