The 5 Best iPad Keyboard Cases of 2025

Top pick

With comfortable, responsive, and backlit keys, as well as a removable inner case, two viewing angles, and the ability to pair with two devices, the Zagg Pro Keys is the keyboard case to beat for 2021 and earlier iPads.

Apple may have dropped support for 7th-generation iPads in its iPadOS 26 release, but 8th- and 9th-generation models can still run the latest software iteration and take advantage of its bevy of Mac-like features. If you’re still using one of these older iPads, the Zagg Pro Keys remains the best iPad keyboard to get.

With all that in mind, the Pro Keys is still one of the best keyboard cases to type on thanks to great keyboard hardware and a proper key layout. What sets it apart are the extra features on top of the great typing experience: backlit keys, a removable inner case, two viewing angles, and the ability to pair with two devices. It does everything that the next-best option for 2021 and earlier iPads, the Logitech Slim Folio, does just as well, and it does many things better.

The keyboard layout is the same as what you get on a Mac laptop. The keyboard has all the keys you’d find on a laptop, and they’re all in the correct location, something that many other iPad keyboards get wrong. The entire keyboard is smaller compared with a laptop’s, but the difference is more noticeable on the miniature modifier keys than on the letters. Tab, Caps Lock, and Shift, for example, are still wider than the letter keys, but not by as much as they are on a full-size keyboard. The Pro Keys doesn’t have an Esc key—we often miss having it. But that particular trade-off is very common, as few iPad keyboards include an Esc key. Even so, getting used to slightly smaller keys and their rounded-square shape is easier than having to relearn where a bunch of keys are every time you switch from your computer to your iPad. The Pro Keys also offers a nice array of iPadOS-specific special-function keys in a half-height row across the top. And each key is backlit, with seven available colors and four brightness levels.

The shallow keys offer an excellent typing experience. We enjoyed typing on the Pro Keys, and we found that the physical keys were large enough to be comfortable and easy to press; they provided good tactile feedback, too. Key travel was shallow compared with that of a high-quality laptop keyboard, though it was better than on an older 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Pro with the butterfly-style keyboard. Key travel also felt more substantial than on many of its keyboard-case competitors. And using the Pro Keys felt more like typing on a “real” keyboard than on an afterthought accessory. The whole thing is sturdier than its competition: Whereas other iPad keyboards we tested flexed under the pressure of our fingers pushing the keys, the Pro Keys did not.

Unlike the Slim Folio, this offers more iPad protection. Although other keyboard cases offer a great typing experience, none combine that with a removable design like the Pro Keys does. The segment that holds and protects the iPad magnetically attaches to the rear panel of the Pro Keys, and the keyboard is easy to pull off when you don’t need it. The case isn’t the slimmest or most attractive one around, but it does offer full button protection, the appropriate cutouts for the ports, speaker redirection, and a stylus holder on the right side. The rear panel of the protective case is slightly recessed inward, creating a ridge along the edges of the iPad. And along with a subtle diagonal texture, that all makes for a pleasant in-hand experience in iPad-only mode. At 1.5 pounds, it is, however, noticeably heavier than Logitech’s Slim Folio.

The Pro Keys’s automatic connection is one of its best features. The initial Bluetooth pairing process is identical to that of any other wireless keyboard and takes seconds. But this Zagg keyboard uses a clever system to reconnect whenever you’re ready to type: The iPad’s left edge—the bottom edge, when you have it in typing orientation—magnetically connects to one of the two strips above the top row of keys (at 30-degree and 37-degree angles, respectively). When that happens, the keyboard wakes up and is ready for you to type after a moment. Other models may require you to press a button to wake up the keyboard, whereas this one is ready when you are. And when you lift the iPad off the base, the keyboard automatically disconnects.

The solid magnetic connection and overall balance make for a pleasant on-lap experience. The Pro Keys remains comfortable to type on when it’s resting on your lap or placed on the uneven surface of, say, a couch armrest. The keyboard base is solid enough to keep things stable, and the strong magnetic connections offered in both viewing angles help the Pro Keys confidently hold its structure in place.

The battery won’t last as long as the Slim Folio, but can charge via USB-C. This keyboard’s battery life is rated to last for a year, and you can easily recharge it via a USB-C connector. In contrast, Logitech’s Slim Folio offers a three-year battery, but that’s with a user-replaceable coin-cell battery. Either way, you don’t have to worry about charging often.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The smaller, cramped keys may not be ideal for everyone. As we noted, all iPad keyboard cases require you to make some compromises, and that holds true for the Zagg Pro Keys, as well. Its keys are smaller than standard keys, and they don’t feel as nice to type on as good laptop keys, so this keyboard isn’t as pleasant to use as the best standalone Bluetooth keyboards, especially for extended typing sessions. And though the Pro Keys has one of the best key layouts we’ve seen on an iPad keyboard case, the sizing is just a bit different from that of a regular keyboard, so you may end up making some errors. In fact, despite the overall pleasant typing feel, in our typing tests this model had speed, consistency, and accuracy scores that often placed it in the middle of the pack. In other words, the Pro Keys feels great to type on, but you may need an adjustment period before your typing performance is up to traditional laptop levels.

The leather-like exterior might not be to everyone’s liking. The Pro Keys’s exterior is dominated by a leather-like covering with a slight roughness. The Slim Folio, by contrast, offers a smoother, rubber-like outer surface that may be more pleasant to some people.