Brydge Pro 11" First Impressions
After a few days of using the Brydge keyboard for my 11" iPad Pro, I have a few thoughts. Most of them are overwhelmingly positive, but a few gripes do exist.
Coming from using the Apple SmartKeyboard Folio, the tactile experience of writing is much more enjoyable. The keys have quite a bit more travel, and it prevents the awkward feeling of typing on a pizza box that I got from Apple's offering.
The dedicated media keys are a delight; tasks, like locking the iPad from the keyboard or using the physical keyboard de-docking to activate the software keyboard, make typing on the iPad an absolute pleasure.
With the increased travel of the keys, I have noticed that I have some difficulty occasionally ensuring that I had typed what I wanted to type, but I imagine that will improve with time.
One potential drawback for other users is the increased weight of the device. The keyboard is heavy, being made of milled aluminum. Add that to the weight of the iPad itself, and it's closer to the heft of a laptop than that of a tablet. I can understand why this would scare some away. The latest model of the iPad Pro is the thinnest iOS device Apple has released to date. The addition of the Brydge hampers that portability if you're looking for a tablet experience with the benefit of a hardware keyboard. For users who prefer that use case for their iPad, I would recommend the Smart Keyboard folio. However, if you are interested as using the iPad as a laptop, the Brydge keyboard is hard to beat.
The Brydge keyboards are Bluetooth enabled, and can also be connected to the iPad via a USB-C connector. I haven't needed to teather the keyboard physically because the Bluetooth connection is the best of any keyboard I've used. My previous writing setup, before I caved to the siren call of portability, was placing my iPad in a stand that was reminiscent of the current iMac lineup. I was using the Matias Laptop Pro keyboard and my chief complaint about it was the need to constantly unpair and repair the Bluetooth connection. The latency for typing would become painfully slow, which would kill my flow when I was trying to do focused work. I already have enough problems finding the motivation to write most days. I didn't need the added help from my keyboard.
My old setup, ft a wonderful stream from Playing for Fun by Relay FM.
Don't get me wrong. The Matias keyboard was useful in several ways. The good didn't outweigh the bad for me.
Where the Matias was good, the Brydge is elite. Is that an okay thing to say in 2019? I don't want to come across as un-woke. Regardless, the experience of typing on the Brydge is an absolute pleasure every single time. It's the perfect companion for how I work on my iPad, and I can't wait to see what else I can do thanks to this beautiful product.
Editorial note: I was not paid by Brydge to write this, and this is the first of their products I've purchased. If you want to hear more eloquent and coherent reviews, I'd recommend checking out the work of Jason Snell and Federico Viticci, both of whom have written great pieces about it. Jason writes a review of the unit itself, whereas Federico speaks to having used the iPad as his primary computer for the past seven years. It's a hell of a read, and I'd strongly recommend reading it through at least once.
