Review Logitech Combo Touch - but this is a sztos!Review Logitech Combo Touch - but this is a sztos!

The Logitech Combo Touch is the direct successor to the brilliant Logitech Folio Touch keyboard for the iPad Pro and Air 4. The product was getting great reviews and seemed hard to beat. It turned out that Logitech listened very carefully to the voices of its customers and introduced literally all the improvements they expected.

This Logitech Combo Touch is dedicated to the iPad Pro 11 tablet. It fits all models in this diagonal, i.e. their variants from 2018, 2020 and the latest 2021 with the proprietary Apple M1 chip on board (but also the iPad Air 4). A model for iPad 12.9 also appeared on sale. The device is a set containing a beautifully finished, very solid case with a detachable full qwerty keyboard and a large trackpad, thanks to which we can move around the iPadOS screen with the cursor, as on a traditional computer.

The biggest advantage of Combo Touch over its predecessor is the unfastened construction. Previously, the Folio Touch was a keyboard integrated with the case, which, when we did not need these keys, sometimes became a bit disturbing. That is why the product was chosen by a very small group of users who simply cannot imagine working without physical keys.

Keyboard with Smart Connector

For Logitech Combo Touch, the keyboard to the case is connected via a magnetic holder that has a built-in "extension" to the Smart Connector interface located on the the back of the tablet.

The keyboard is wired via the Smart Connector to the case, and then to the tablet. Thanks to this, it does not need Bluetooth connectivity to work. There is also no built-in battery that needs to be recharged. It draws energy to operate from the iPad. When it is not needed, we unfasten it and put it aside.

A bit about the case itself

The keyboard holds the case very firmly with strong magnets, but as soon as you want to detach it and just scratch or read something comfortably, just pull until the magnet releases the connection and that's it.

We can use the case leaving the keyboard somewhere to the side, or if we feel like it, turn the keyboard over and attach it to the case so that the keys are hidden and the whole thing just becomes the whole case.

This is what the predecessor lacked the most. Possibility of getting rid of the keyboard in an easy way when it becomes temporarily redundant.

The case protects the back, corners, as well as the edges and indirectly the screen thanks to the rubber tab slightly overlapping its surface. If dropped flat, the screen will hit this protrusion, not the glass.

Looking at the cost of the screen and the inability to replace the glass itself in this model, in my opinion this fact is an important detail.

The back of the device as well as the keyboard have been covered with a very pleasant to the touch gray fabric (two variants are available - sand and oxford gray). What can I say, it looks amazing, and it feels even better.

At the same time, it is a splash and dirt resistant fabric. It is very easy to clean by wiping with a damp cloth. Keeping it clean is therefore very easy and not a problem.

The back is equipped with a hinged flap that allows you to turn the case into a stand for convenient video watching or Face Time calls.

When working with the keyboard, it is also a support that allows you to set the screen in front of the user and work comfortably.

The left edge is completely covered. There is an implemented Smart Connector here, which I have already mentioned. It is these five contact points that allow you to power the trackpad, keyboard and its backlight using the port on the back of the tablet.

On the opposite side, the edge is already incomplete. There is space here for the magnetic attachment of the Apple Pencil. The second generation of this Apple pointer is supported and if we have it, we can simply bring it closer to the tablet and it will stick in this place with a magnet. Just like the keyboard.

In the upper and lower parts, there is room for the four sound channels that the iPad is equipped with, as well as the charging port and microphones. Interestingly, although the case is advertised as compatible with all generations of the iPad Pro 11, the cutouts for the speakers in the case of the iPad Pro 11 2020 are smaller than in the tablet itself.

As a result, some of the openings are covered. Oh, that's a minor flaw. In practice, however, it doesn't matter.

It should also be noted that the Logitech Combo Touch is currently the slimmest keyboard case on the market today. Its thickness when closed is only 1.69 cm, and the weight is only 574 grams. This was achieved thanks to the fact that it is powered by the iPad and does not need its own heavy battery.

A bit about the keyboard itself

As I mentioned, the keyboard does not have its own battery power. To use it, we do not need to remember to recharge it, connect cables, etc. The most important thing is that our tablet is charged, and thanks to the powerful USB-C power supply, you know how quickly you can charge its battery. Thanks to the fact that communication takes place via the Smart Connector, the USB-C port is free and you can charge the tablet while working, connect a memory card reader or a portable drive.

I see the lack of a battery as a great advantage, although I realize that some people may be turning their noses up at the moment and wondering if it's a good move, if only because of the inability to use the keyboard "at a distance" or simply for other devices than just this iPad - for the Apple TV set-top box or phone, when we need to write something quickly on the go.

OK, I understand that, but it must be made clear that there are completely different products for such needs and Logitech also offers such products. For example, Logitech Keys-To-Go, which I recently tested for you. The Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard is a keyboard for the 11" iPad Pro and only for it.

The keyboard, as well as the case, has been covered with this beautiful fabric. And not only in the base, which is also the back of the case, but also internally around the keys and trackpad. The latter is currently the largest multi-touch trackpad used in a keyboard for a tablet.

It supports all gestures known from Macbooks, i.e. scrolling, pinching or tapping, etc. At the same time, it is very precise, which makes working with it resemble that of a computer.

The keyboard is full. There is not only a numerical field, but instead it is illuminated in as many as 16 levels of intensity. So we can safely work even if we are not yet able to deal with touch typing, and we are in a poorly lit place.

The buttons are the right size, you can easily get used to entering text using them, and a pleasant stroke like from the Apple scissor keyboard positively affects the comfort during work.

Even the cursor keys are made in an inverted T, which will be very convenient for people working in editors.

The first line of keys is like a line of function buttons taken out of Macbooks, allowing you to control the backlight of the screen, keyboard, start Spotlight or control playback and volume.

With this keyboard, we can literally forget that there is still a touch screen at our disposal. It just becomes redundant.

A bit about the whole

I recently got the iPad Pro 11. It came into my hands a bit by accident, because I've never been a big fan of tablets, seeing in them many limitations caused by iOS or now iPadOS. Having a large Max phone, the first generation iPad Pro 12.9, which I have had for several years, served only as a screen for watching Netflix outside the living room and nothing else.

With the iPad Pro 11 and the Logitech Combo Touch case, I look at this device completely differently. I happen to write something on it more often, although it is still more social media than longer texts on the site. Here, however, the large iMac screen, the desk and the peace of the office still dominate.

However, there are many people for whom the tablet is the only and completely sufficient "computer" that allows them to arrange all virtual matters with its help. Thanks to the fact that there are accessories like Logitech Combo Touch for it, its value as a device for everything only increases, as does its usability.

I see a lot of advantages of a combination like the iPad and this case. Especially this model seems to be well thought out from start to finish. Not only practical thanks to the keyboard with a pleasant and useful backlight, but also because the keyboard can be put down at any time, and even if not, it can be conveniently hidden under the tablet, to which it attaches magnetically. At the same time, let's just say it straight, you can see from the pictures, it looks great, and Apple itself can look at the quality of workmanship with envy.

No wonder that initially these cases were available only in the Apple Online store. Beautiful and quality products, however, cost a lot. You currently have to pay PLN 939 for this keyboard case. I admit that I checked the price only now, finishing this test and wanting to know how much you have to pay for it to include it in the content and I am surprised. Quite a large sum, the spending of which everyone has to justify to himself.

Logitech Combo Touch review - but it's dope!