Review: iClever Ultra Slim 3 Color backlight Bluetooth Keyboard

An external keyboard is an incredibly useful accessory for an iPad, and it is a key reason that, for years now, I have been able to rely on just an iPad when I travel, leaving the computer at my desk.  For many years, I have used Apple’s Wireless Keyboard, a really great Bluetooth keyboard.  Apple discontinued that keyboard in October of 2015 and now instead sells the Magic Keyboard, which seems even better from my limited tests.  But a few months ago, the folks at iClever sent me a free review sample of their Ultra Slim 3 Color backlight Bluetooth Keyboard.  I really like it, so much so that I stopped using that Apple keyboard.

Folding design

The best part of this Bluetooth 3.0 keyboard is that it folds up into a compact size, meaning it takes up much less space than a traditional keyboard.  It folds up to about 6.5″ x 4.5″ x .5″ — not quite small enough to fit into a pocket (unless it is large), but more than small enough for a briefcase, purse, or other bag.  If you have been using mobile devices for as long as I have and you remember using the Stowaway keyboard for Palm devices, later sold by Palm itself, this is a similar product although it folds up differently.  (Here is Dan Bricklin’s 1999 write-up on the original Stowaway keyboard.)

Once unfolded, you have a full size keyboard.  I had no trouble touch-typing on this keyboard.  Typically I would just unfold the keyboard and start using it in that position, which you can definitely do and it is only slightly wobbly.  But if you want to make the keyboard perfectly flat and secure, you can fold down small feet on both sides of the opened keyboard.  Those feet work really, really well, and make the keyboard feel just as steady as a non-foldable keyboard.

I don’t often use an external keyboard when I am in a meeting.  I usually just use the Apple Pencil to take handwritten notes.  But on those rare occasions when I do want a keyboard, it is very easy to carry this keyboard and my 12.9″ iPad Pro together in one hand.

The keyboard folds in from both sides, with a hinge between the S and D keys and a hinge between the L and :; keys on the keyboard.  Fold the device up and it turns off.  Unfold it and the device turns on. 

This design makes it incredibly easy to carry the keyboard around, not to mention fun to use.

Power

The device charges via microUSB.  I cannot tell you exactly how long the charge has lasted for me, but I can say that I charge it rarely and I’ve never had it run out of power.  The manual says that you can use it for 300 hours straight between charges and that there are 90 days of standby time.

The keyboard enters an energy-saving idle mode if you haven’t used it for 10 minutes.  To activate it, press any case and wait three seconds.

The keys

There is less movement on these keys than on the Apple keyboard, so I did feel like it was somewhat of a compromise using this keyboard.  Based on key feel alone, I would always prefer the Apple keyboard.  But the keyboard isn’t that much worse, and I found that I got used to it over time — so much so that a while back I just stopped using the Apple keyboard at all, and I haven’t missed it.

The keyboard has a “Win” key instead of a Command key, but you use it the same way.  So you can do Win-C to copy, Win-V to paste, Win-Z to undo, etc.

Function keys can also be used for special features.  For example, the Escape key has a home icon on it, indicating that you can press it to exit the app and go to the Home Screen.  F1 has a magnifying glass icon on it, indicating that you can press it to jump to the Home screen and then go to the Search screen.  F11 and F12 control volume.  F8 is previous track, F9 is play/pause, F10 is next track.

F4 through F7 are supposed to control cut and paste functions, but for some reason they didn’t work for me.  But as noted above, I could just do Win-C to copy, Win-V to paste, etc. so I didn’t miss those function keys.

One nice feature of this keyboard is that you can turn on back-lighting for the keys.  This drastically reduces battery life — iClever says that you go down from 300 hours to 5 hours — but if you are typing in a dark area, it is really nice to turn on back-lighting to see the keyboard while you are typing.  There are two brightness levels, and you can choose between blue, green or red back-lighting.

Note that this keyboard doesn’t hold up the iPad, so you will need to use something else to prop up your iPad while you type.  I use the Apple Smart Cover, which folds up into a triangle, and that works great.  If I am at my office desk and I want to type on my iPad, I use the Stable PRO by Thought Out, a fantastic iPad stand that lives in my office, but which is way too heavy to be portable.

Conclusion

[UPDATE:  Ryan asks in the Comments why I prefer this keyboard to Apple’s iPad Pro cover with a built-in keyboard, which is called the Smart Keyboard.  If you are interested in my answer, read the Comments.]

I really like this keyboard.  The folding feature makes it much easier to carry around.  The keyboard feels good to use — even though the Apple wireless keyboard is better — and I can type at full speed on the full-size keyboard.  The back-lighting feature is a nice bonus, and the special-feature keys are useful.  If you like the idea of a portable keyboard, I can recommend this one.

Click here to get the iClever Ultra Slim 3 Color backlight Bluetooth Keyboard from Amazon ($54.99).

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