Ready to fold? Review of Microsofts Universal Mobile Keyboard

Let me tell ya, tablets really are great devices. I’ve come around to loving them myself, even though it has taken some time. And even though my first tablet, my trusty old Asus Eee Pad Slider, is still a great device, I’ve taken the jump to iOS, and an iPad mini 2, not least for professional reasons. Thats a similarly great device, light, flexible, and powerful. However, as a full tablet, it brings another set of obstacles: What to do when you’ve got to write a longer text? Okay, granted, there’s the onscreen keyboard, which isn't bad, to be fair, if you can adjust to it. For many people, however, including yours truly, writing on the onscreen keyboard is painfully slooooooowwww.

So, what to do if you want to reply to that email and get it over with BEFORE large parts of Ethiopia and Somalia break away from the African continent and go their own way? That is really going to happen, by the way, but back to the topic at hand. The obvious choice is to get an external keyboard, but which one should you get? Go for a combined keyboard and cover? Go for a standalone keyboard? Should it include a stand for the tablet, or not? They each have their advantages and disadvantages, however my priorities were clear. I wanted a completely separate keyboard, simply to have more flexibility. Not only that, it should of course be a full size keyboard, but also be very compact when not in use. After some research, I finally decided to go for the Universal Mobile Keyboard by Microsoft.

Microsoft? Are you completely out of your mind? Well, actually yes, but I do have some very valid reasons for my decision. First of all, while Microsoft’s software products may be hit or miss (Looking at you, Vista, and Windows 8!), the hardware produced by the guys in Redmond has proven itself to be rock solid, with some truly exceptional products in their lineup. The Universal Mobile Keyboard is no exception to that. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it is the best external keyboard for smartphones and tablets. In my eise, it even blows the ridiculously expensive Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro out of the water. Ahh, it feels good to be able to write sentences like that again!

Despite the rather bright colours, the packaging is actually quite low key.

But back to Microsoft’s keyboard. The specs definitely make for interesting reading. Full size keyboard, 6 months (!) of usage on a single battery charge, integrated smartphone/tablet stand with 3 different viewing angles, usable with Android, iOS, and Windows with switching between these modes at the flick of a, well, switch. Of course, that kind of feature list comes at a cost. Microsoft lists a retail price of 79€ on its Irish website, while amazon has prices starting at 64€. Most retailers are somewhere in between. 

With the cover closed, the keyboard leaves no doubts regarding the manufacturer.

In addition to the keyboard, you also get the usual set of disclaimers, warranty information and manual. Oh, and a micro USB charging cable that'll look for another part time job, as it won't have much to do.

Once you’ve bought the keyboard, you’ll immediately notice the unusually high weight. With 363 grams (No imperial units on my blog if I can help it!), it is similar to a large bar of chocolate, and the size is similar as well. I’d advise against trying to take a bite out of the keyboard, however!. In the box, you’ll find keyboard (obviously), as well as a micro USB charging cable that’ll lead a very relaxed life, and the usual manual and warranty documentation. The keyboard consists of two parts, a heavy top cover with a rubberised surface that feels a lot like neoprene, and that folds over the actual keyboard when not in use, and the keyboard itself, complete with a number of function keys and arrow keys.

Once you've opened the keyboard, it practically doubles in size!

Due to the connection to the cover, the keyboard is angled slightly, which makes it more comfortable to type on. Additionally, you can see the stand for tablets or smartphones, as well as the separate power button and charging port in this image.

Switching on the keyboard is easy. You fold back the cover… that’s it. Seriously. Apparently, this is triggered by magnets in the keyboard and/or cover. Pairing it with a tablet or smartphone is easy and straightforward as well, and within no time at all, you’re ready to start typing away. The layout is just what you would expect, and the device doesn't feel to different to many notebook keyboards. Those of you who’ve mastered touch typing should have no trouble doing that on the Universal Mobile Keyboard as well, although I’ll stick to my real-life adaptation of the Infinite Monkey Theorem!

This is how the keyboard looks with a tablet, in this case my iPad mini 2, attached. You can see that the keyboard was actually designed for larger tablets. I'd strongly advise against using it with the likes of an iPad Pro, for example. 

That's the angle I usually work at when using the keyboard.

That's what I call laid back. There's three different possible positions and angles for your devices. There should be something there for everyone!

However there’s more to this keyboard. The cover also acts as a stand for a tablet or smartphone. The rubberised surface I mentioned earlier stops the device from slipping around, while the weight of the cover provides a solid foundation even for larger tablets. And since the cover is not only heavy, but also rigid, it is also possible to use the keyboard on your lap, just like a laptop computer. That’s a major advantage over many other keyboards out there, including Microsoft’s Universal Foldable Keyboard, which I had also set my eyes on. Additionally, you can actually separate the cover/stand from the keyboard, in case you want a more stable position for your tablet. The two parts connect via magnets, so you don’t have to worry about any physical connector wearing out or getting stuck. That’s also the reason why the keyboard has a separate power switch, next to the micro USB charging port. That switch will also get the device into pairing mode in case you need to pair it to another device.

Split personalities? Not quite, but in case you want your tablet a bit further back, that's no trouble at all with the Universal Mobile Keyboard. The good thing here is that reuniting the two parts is easy as well, thanks to magnets.

So how does it fare in real life? Well, have a closer look at some of the images above, would you kindly? That text you see there is from the german version of this article. Yep, that’s partially been written on this keyboard, although I still prefer doing layout details, image captions, etc. on a computer. But seriously, the keyboard works like a charm. There’s no delay at all, and even precision work is possible, not least thanks to the arrow keys. And you don’t have to worry about getting uncomfortable during long texts, either. I’ve used that keyboard not only to answer private emails but also to work on drafts for articles on my blogs during work breaks, for example. The one thing I can’t say anything about is battery life. I simply haven’t had the device long enough to drain the battery, I mean, I’ve only got this thing since christmas, and those 7 weeks apparently aren’t enough to drain the battery sufficiently to get the LED to light up red, which is the indicator that it needs to be charged.

As I said earlier in this article, in my eyes, this keyboard is the best external keyboard for mobile devices currently available. Not only is the actual keyboard great, and robust enough to take even my jackhammer style of typing, the guys at Microsoft clearly put a lot of thought into this design. The result is a keyboard with many useful tricks up its sleeve, which is really as universally usable as its name implies. The only place where it can’t be used is onboard aircraft, as Bluetooth is the only way to connect to this device. Apart from that caveat, it really is a great little device that has absolutely deserved the Red Dot Design Award it won in 2015!