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Design8
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Comfortability9
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Features9
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Value for money9
Buy the Logitech Combo Touch here
It’s been two months since I started using the Logitech Combo Touch with my 11-inch M4 iPad Pro. I made a video when I first got it here but now I’ve had some actual quality time with it.
For anyone who’s unaware, I recently switched from the 13-inch iPad Pro to the 11-inch version after Apple sent me a review unit of the latter (I immediately fell in love with it back then and decided it was for me).
A swift order for the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro ensued, to which I added the Magic Keyboard. This was a default choice for me – muscle memory for any new iPad Pro purchase. I’d be mad not to, right? Despite the additional cost, an iPad Pro without a Magic Keyboard is next to useless, right?
Well, not quite. But, more importantly, there’s another option which can save you either £70 or £90, depending on which size iPad Pro you go for. It’s called the Logitech Combo Touch and it is, quite simply, brilliant.
However, some accessories weaken over time (both figuratively and literally), so, how has the Combo Touch fared since I started travelling incessantly with it?
My handy travel companion
As alluded to above, I am travelling an awful lot for this business now. These jaunts range from quick trips south to the capital to long-haul flights across to the other side of the world.
Over the last few years, I’ve identified the key to happy travelling as a tech YouTuber: reducing the weight of your backpack. This involves switching from big, heavy DSLR cameras to your smartphone (honestly, it’s utterly pointless taking out the former on 95% of trips), only taking the essential accessories, cables, and power adaptors, and finding the lightest computing device money can buy.
The latter is the hardest challenge to overcome. The MacBook Air is arguably one of the best solutions, but having designated my 15-inch MacBook Air as my home laptop (it’s incredibly extravagant, I know) I’m left with either the 14-inch MacBook Pro or the 11-inch iPad Pro, and it’s the touch screen-equipped option I’m finding myself reaching for the most.
This has resulted in the Logitech Combo Touch joining me on my adventures, and it has proved a lot easier to live with than any MacBook with which I’ve travelled, not least because it provides all-round protection for that expensive iPad (I have no qualms about throwing it into airport security trays).
What I like about the Logitech Combo Touch
There’s a lot to like about the Logitech Combo Touch. The price is the obvious starting point; the 11-inch version costs £229, while the 13-inch edition is £299. That doesn’t make it the cheapest iPad accessory on the market, but compared to the Magic Keyboard, it’s mighty tempting.
The flexibility offered by the Combo Touch only gets better with time, too. The angles of adjustment thanks to the kickstand prove regularly useful, but the crowning glory of this device is the ability to detach the keyboard from the case. You can’t use the keyboard while detached (a half thumbs-down there), but I love being able to turn the iPad… into an iPad when I’m done with typing.
The number of times I’ve instinctively detached the iPad from its keyboard to either chow down on YouTube or simply make the process of digesting the contents of the screen a little easier, reveals where the magic (excuse the awkward pun) of the Combo Touch lies. That said, when you do want to get productive with it, the feel of the keyboard and the trackpad is delightful.
As noted earlier, this is a stellar iPad case, too. There is genuine all-round protection which, yes, does hide the beauty of the iPad Pro from sight, but in return, you gain complete peace of mind whenever you chuck that thing around.
What I don’t like about the Logitech Combo Touch
It’s not all roses with the Combo Touch. Just like any iPad accessory, there are some challenges and minor downsides to overcome. How ‘minor’ they are for you is entirely down to personal preference, your use case, and your stomach for compromises.
Let’s talk about grubbiness, for starters. Just like the Apple Magic Keyboard, the Logitech Combo Touch suffers from fingerprints, smudges, and marks that are rather tricky to wipe off. The good news is that you can wipe most of them off with a decent cleaner fluid and microfiber cloth (something that can’t be said for Apple’s official accessory).
The Combo Touch can be used nicely on your lap – in most scenarios. Over the last couple of months, I’ve encountered a few instances where it’s a bit uncomfortable – namely while sitting in the back of an Uber while wearing shorts and attempting to get some last-minute writing done. The kickstand does become a little uncomfortable on your bare skin in such instances, and the setup feels slightly less stable than a Magic Keyboard. Thankfully, those instances have been few and far between.
There are a couple of much smaller niggles. The first is the fact that it’s far too easy to accidentally hit the Do Not Disturb button on the function key row, rather than the backspace. The presence of the former key is great, but I wish it was somewhere slightly less accidentally-tappable.
The second minor niggle is the fact that a couple of my chunkier USB-C cables don’t attach to the iPad easily, thanks to the aforementioned all-around protection offered by the Combo Touch case. Given the trade-off that is ultimate worry-free slingability, I’ll let them off that.
Logitech Combo Touch vs Apple Magic Keyboard
If you’re thinking about buying the Logitech Combo Touch, this is going to be the comparison that’s at the top of your mind, and quite rightly so.
There’s quite a lot separating these two accessories. The first is, obviously, the price. If you have an 11-inch iPad Pro, the Combo Touch is £70 cheaper than the Magic Keyboard, and if you have the 11-inch version, you’ll save £90 over Apple’s official accessory. Those are both significant savings.
They’re also completely different designs. The Magic Keyboard is one unit that cannot be separated; the keyboard is always part of the package whether you want it there or not. The fact you can so easily detach the iPad from its magnetic plate goes some way to helping retain the tablet feel, but the offset is limited protection and zero kick stand. The Logitech Combo Touch wins for me almost solely because it solves all of these problems.
The Magic Keyboard doesn’t suffer from the same Do Not Disturb (DND) key placement, but it doesn’t have a DND key at all. The Combo Touch also offers more display angles, although the new Magic Keyboard is far more flexible than its predecessor.
The typing and trackpad experience on both are comparable; they’re great writing devices and competent laptop replacements in that regard. The one you go for, therefore, will depend on your budget and desire for more flexiblitry (Logitech) or more brand familiarity (Apple).
Conclusion
The Magic Keyboard will be bought by anyone who goes for Apple accessories by default. I used to sit in that crowd until I started reviewing tech and realised how great some of the alternatives are.
This is why the Logitech Combo Touch will be bought by people who have a keen eye on value for money and who like to have a little bit more functionality and flexibility to play with.
The Logitech Combo Touch is one of my favourite iPad acessories thus far and I can’t see it leaving my 11-inch M4 iPad Pro any time soon.
Buy the Logitech Combo Touch here
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