Battle of the Keyboard Cases! Find out who wins in our Zagg Cover vs. Logitech Ultrathin comparison!
[toggle title=”Watch the Zagg Cover vs. Logitech Ultrathin video on YouTube”][/toggle]You might be thinking…why would one want a physical keyboard on their iPad. To my surprise, they work well. We’ve got a Zagg Cover Keyboard and Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard and one of these keyboards is definitely better than the other.
Both of these iPad keyboard cases connect to your device via Bluetooth and have battery life that will last you a few months. They are slim and fairly light weight but one of these keyboard cases is going to turn your iPad Air into a mini laptop and the other a really expensive picture stand. Check out the Zagg Cover vs. Logitech Ultrathin comparison table to see everything that we’ve rated these cases against.
These are $100 dollar accessories which makes them fairly pricey but depending on what you plan on doing with them, it could be the best $100 dollar you spend on an iPad Air accessory. Based on our time with these two cases, we gave the Zagg iPad case a score of 4 Eh’s out of 5 and the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard 3.4 Eh’s out of 5.
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Design – The best iPad keyboard case in terms of design? Its the Zagg!
Both of these cases will pretty much double the thickness of your iPad installed. When they’re sitting off by themselves, the Logitech Ultrathin keyboard is much thinner than the Zagg Cover since there isn’t a giant hinge in the way. If you’re a person who will be moving your iPad in/out of the case, the hinge might actually piss you off over the long term.
The Logitech Ultra thin has a very slick feeling back whereas the Zagg Cover has a very rubbery texture that isn’t that hard to rub off which is surprising.
One of the things that makes the Zagg cover more appealing is the fact that the keyboard is back-lit which means you can easily be doing whatever you need to be doing in total darkness and see your keys. Also, there are several different light colours and if you press them fast enough, you can have your own little light show.
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Protection – Both iPad keyboard cases will provide minimal protection
When it comes to protection, not one case comes out on top in our Zagg Cover vs. Logitech Ultrathin comparison as both of these cases do a half/assed job (literally) of protecting your iPad since both cases were scored at 2.5 Eh’s out of 5. These two cases do not cover the corners of your iPad so in the event of a high drop, there’s a good chance your iPad Air is going to suffer from a smashed corner.
Now there is a big difference in our Zagg Cover vs. Logitech Ultrathin comparison in terms of protection. The Logitech keyboard basically flails around as it doesn’t stay closed when the iPad Air is not in use. You don’t have that problem with the Zagg Cover BUT because of the hinge system, your screen protector will probably not survive as it will scratch it off eventually. I will also add that on my iPad Air, after extended use with the Zagg case, I noticed a couple of scratches that were caused by installing the Zagg case repeatedly.
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Functionality – The Zagg Cover provides the better typing experience
In terms of functionality of the case, we look at two things which are getting to your iPad and the functionality of the actual keyboard. Getting to your iPad is the easiest with the Logitech keyboard case because it isn’t physically attached to the case. In our However, if you’re looking to just use your iPad, not the keyboard but want to keep the keyboard close, the Logitech doesn’t let you do that. Taking your iPad Air out of the Zagg case isn’t tough but does take a bit more effort when compared to the Logitech Ultrathin.
In terms of Keyboard functionality, both keyboards offer great battery life but we have to say the Zagg provides a better typing experience. It comes with a couple of more function keys, the keyboard layout is wider and taller. The Logitech only has 5 rows of keys where the Zagg Cover has 6 so everything isn’t as cramped.
For keyboard responsiveness, the Logitech is a little spongier and the Zagg is crisper. The Logitech feels like a Microsoft Arc keyboard where the Zagg feels like the keyboards on a Apple Laptop.
The last thing we’ll talk about is your hand position. The top of the Logitech Keyboard sits very close to the iPad screen which may seem odd to some people but it does offer for slightly quicker access to the iPad screen. This setup falls apart if you’re typing on anything other than a flat surface.
The Zagg Cover hand position is a little more normal as the distance between the Keyboard and the iPad’s screen is similar to a laptop. The entire case is much more rigid so you can easily use the case on your lap or any other un-even surface.
Now, if you’re a person who needs to have a keyboard handy, I would go with the Logitech. It’s a pretty light case and can easily slide in/out of a laptop bag. However, if you’re going to be spending a couple of hours typing on your iPad, I would go with the Zagg because it turns your iPad Air into a little laptop.
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Angelica Guevara
November 28, 2014 at 10:55 pm
Does the Zagg Cover works for the new ipad air 2?
Aaron Ho
November 29, 2014 at 5:02 pm
I’m not sure as the iPad Air 2 is thinner than the original air and the Zagg cover needs a good fit in order for the hinge to work well.