The beauty of an iPad is its versatility. You can use it as a tablet for entertainment, as a drawing pad for sketching, or as a laptop to do some light work. But that also means you need the right accessories. Apple sells a ton of first-party options, but they’re fairly limited, not to mention downright expensive.
Take, for example, Apple’s Smart Folio. It’s great for watching TV or sketching, but you need to provide a keyboard and mouse if you want to use the tablet as a laptop. The Magic Keyboard case, on the other hand, doesn’t detach from the keyboard, and it’s top-heavy, so it’s not conducive for anything other than getting work done. The only ideal choice is Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio. The top half protects the back and has a built-in kickstand. The bottom half is a detachable keyboard with a trackpad. It‘s my favorite iPad case Apple ever made, but unfortunately, it only works with the 10th-generation iPad. Why Apple hasn’t expanded support to the rest of its iPads is baffling.
Thankfully, there’s a solution in the form of the Logitech Combo Touch. It’s almost identical to Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio, but Logitech has been making it for several years in a row. The latest version is designed specifically for the 13-inch iPad Pro, but other versions are available for the iPad and iPad Air. As someone who is constantly switching between using the tablet to get work done during the day and to watch TV at night, it’s a must-have iPad accessory.
Adaptable All-Around
There’s not all that much to the Combo Touch. It’s comprised of two pieces. The first half is the actual case—it’s made of a soft-touch fabric with raised bumpers around the display for extra protection. The right side has a slot to store and charge the Apple Pencil Pro (or to just store it if you have the USB-C Pencil). On the back is an excellent kickstand that can be angled in a variety of positions. It’s super sturdy too, never wobbling when I tap on the display, when I place it on my bed to watch TV, or when it’s on my lap.
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
The bottom half is the keyboard and mouse. It’s made of low-carbon aluminum and feels just as premium as the redesigned Magic Keyboard case (if you have an older iPad, the case has a fabric texture instead). Both pieces connect via Apple’s Smart Connector, so you don’t have to worry about Bluetooth connectivity and, therefore, having to charge the case. This mechanism also makes it easy to quickly attach and detach both pieces.
The keys come with an adjustable backlight too, along with built-in function row keys to quickly brighten or dim them right from the keyboard. In addition to the basic keys like brightness, playback controls, and volume controls, there’s a Do Not Disturb key and Screenshot key as well. The scissor keys are comfortable to type on all day, and this is coming from someone very particular about my keyboards. I use a mechanical keyboard at my desk, so I thought it would be tough to adjust to the Combo Touch, but I find it satisfying—I’m writing this review on it.
This case also makes the entire iPadOS experience far more tolerable for work. I can set the display at a variety of angles, the keys are large and clicky enough to type on for long periods without feeling fatigued, and the trackpad is responsive (despite being a bit too large).
