Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device keyboard k480 hands on

Zenas recently introduced viewers to the Microsoft Universal mobile keyboard in the video "Is your Tablet a White Elephant?". The tablet is a device meant to increase productivity, with the larger screen estate and typically better multitasking capabilities. However, typing on the larger screen is usually a hassle. A mobile keyboard can be the perfect productivity partner to your underutilized tablet, but with many to choose from, which keyboard is more suitable for you?

The Universal keyboard is lightweight, compact, and comfortable, but its premium build comes at a price. The Microsoft online shop is selling it for $99, which is not a price most users are willing to pay. Other deals can be found on Carousel or IT/electronics shows, going for $84 during Megatex. Still, given that some tablets can be had for less than a hundred, paying the same price for a keyboard is not a decision most would make.

Enter Logitech's k480 Bluetooth Multi-Device keyboard. Coming in at a recommended $59 retail price, it can easily be found under $50 at IT shows and under $40 online. It may not be the cheapest keyboard around, with Ranger, Anker and Rapoo offering cheaper deals, but the combination of price and performance makes it extremely appealing. Is this the best keyboard for your buck? Read on to find out.

The Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device k480 Keyboard on display

Compared to the Universal keyboard from Microsoft, it is noticeably larger, heavier, and it doesn't sport as premium a look as the Universal keyboard. It is constructed in plastic and comes in either a very plain black, or white accented with lime green. It is not ugly, but it just doesn't look as sleek as Microsoft's offering.

It is a fat device and there is no denying it. Coming in at 299 mm in length, 195 mm in breadth and 20 mm thick and weighing 0.82 kg, Logitech was correct in excluding the word mobile from k480s name. This is an important point to note: this is not the most portable keyboard around and users who intend to bring it along all the time must keep that in mind. Another thing is the k480s lack of a cover that many other keyboards offer. This exposes the keys to dirt and dust, and placing the keyboard in a bag alongside other sharp objects might damage it. It is not very easy to put it inside a bag anyway; the length and breadth is larger than a typical 10" tablet and the thickness nearly thrice that of the tablet. This keyboard is really not built to stay in a bag or be carried around everywhere.

The keyboard is thick but this allows the keys to have a higher drop

It is, however, most at home on your table top. The weight of the keyboard and the 4 rubber feet at the bottom plants the keyboard firmly on the table when the user needs to get some typing done. The heft of the keyboard also ensures that it does not topple over when a tablet or phone (or both!) is placed in its groove. The keyboard comes with a deep groove found at the top of the device and can hold up to a 12.2" tablet and a phone simultaneously in portrait or a 10 tablet in landscape so that charging can take place while the user works.

There is a large groove that can fit a phone or a tablet comfortablyIn my hands-on however, I found it impossible for my tablet to be held securely in place. The tablet used was a Lenovo Spark 8 (8) with the official flip cover. The cover extends beyond the tablet both in portrait and landscape making it unable to sit flushed in the keyboard's groove. The 'naked' tablet sits fine and does not wobble even during intense typing sessions. A typical phone fits perfectly as well. Before the purchase of the keyboard, interested users should definitely try to place their devices on the groove to see if it has a good fit, especially if the tablet in question has a flip cover. They could do so in larger Challenger or Newstead outlets locally. Alternatively, the user could always get a tablet stand - even though it will be more space consuming as the keyboard itself is actually quite large.

At the back is a small covered slot for 2 AAA batteries that is supposed to power the keyboard for 2 years. This should be sufficient for most users, and should the keyboard ever run out of juice, AAA batteries are easy to find and easy to carry along. Beside it are a tiny battery status light and an On/Off switch. The AAA batteries come pre-installed so the user can start typing right from the start a nice little gesture from Logitech.

The back of the keyboard is plain with 4 rubber feet and a slot to feed 2 AAA batteries. Image taken from drippler.comSlightly below on the left edge of the device is a curious knob labeled 1, 2 and 3. The k480 is a wonderful, multi device capable, multi OS capable keyboard, supporting up to three devices running Android, iOS or Windows. Switching devices after pairing up is literally as easy as rotating the knob.

The knob for switching devices is conveniently located on the left.

Image taken from Logitech

Instructions for pairing the keyboard can be found in the sticker pasted below the groove, but basically it is just switching the knob to the number the device would be assigned to, and holding down one of two buttons: the windows button for Windows and Android devices, or the iOS button for Apple devices. Afterwards, your device will prompt you to enter a numeric code on the keyboard to finish pairing. This multi-device support capability is not found even on some keyboards twice or thrice its price, making it extremely appealing for people who own multiple devices.

Instructions can be found on the removable sticker

Pairing up the device is as easy as holding down the correct button

Switching between devices takes around half a second to complete, and while it isn't immediate, it is fast enough to allow most users to be true multitaskers. For example, the keyboard can be hooked up to a Microsoft Surface writing a code (try that with the default on-screen keyboard!) on number 1, then using it to play a tutorial video on an adjacent iPad on number 2. When a text comes in on the Android phone tagged to number 3, the user just needs to rotate a knob to reply that important message. All on that single keyboard.

At least, that is what I had imagined it to be. In actual fact, that there a little more fiddling that needs to be done. The keyboard does not have a dedicated "send" button, and pressing the "enter" button signals a new line. The combination of "control", shift " and "enter" does not get the job done either, and this is an annoyance especially if the keyboard is used to send multiple short messages. A way to overcome this problem may be to set the option of "Pressing the enter button sends the message", but it would have been great if there was actually a keyboard combination to do so. Nonetheless, I doubt that the keyboard was designed with text messaging in mind, and its primary purpose will more likely to allow users to type long reports or snippets of code that would originally be a dreaded chore on the on-screen keyboard.

In that aspect, I would say that Logitech's offering has done a pretty good job. Below the groove and the knob lie island style keys with rounded edges in a conventional tablet layout. There is not much of a learning curve and users can get accustomed to the keyboard really easily. There are a few functional keys on the top for swifter operation, similar to many other keyboards, but there is no function lock as far as I could tell. Individual keys are smaller than usual laptop keys despite the large profile of the keyboard, but they are raised high enough for touch typing without much effort. Keys have a respectable drop, even more than some laptops, and they provide a comfortable, clicky tactile response. This makes typing on the keyboard an absolute pleasure and I have no complains about the keyboard layout or the typing experience. Despite using a mechanical keyboard daily, the typing experience on the k480 far surpassed my expectations of a keyboard of this price point and in my short hands-on with it, I was able to type effortlessly. The experience compared to that of the default on screen keyboard is miles apart. Despite it being primarily built with plastic, the body of the keyboard is stiff and sturdy and did not exhibit much flexing while I was typing on it.

There are many shortcut keys found on the uppermost row

Keys have surprisingly decent travel and are enjoyable to type on. They are, however, extremely loudWould I recommend this keyboard to the reader out there? Unfortunately, no, unless there are a few things you are willing to overlook. Despite the pleasurable typing sensation, the keyboard is horrendously loud. It is louder than most laptop keyboards and it might cause a great deal of annoyance to noise sensitive colleagues or school mates. It would be difficult to use the keyboard for note-taking on the tablet during a lecture or a meeting without interrupting the speaker - which is what I personally think these keyboards should be designed for. It is to allow tablets to rival notebooks in terms of productivity in everyday use, and a keyboard that is firstly unwieldy to transport and secondly impractical to use in noise sensitive environments will find its competitors overshadowing it, which leads us to the conclusion.

This keyboard has 3 great flaws. First, it is large, heavy, and does not come with a cover, making it not very suited to be the absolute traveling companion. Second, its groove might not allow some tablets with cases to sit in it, and third, typing on it is extremely loud for a mobile keyboard and might annoy others. But if a user is willing to overlook these flaws; if a user does not intended to bring it out that often, and if the user is comfortable with the clickety-clack of the keyboard, he will find a keyboard that is able to power through documents and emails on multiple devices. He will be rewarded with one of the most satisfying typing experiences on a portable keyboard. All of that comes at a wallet friendly price. This keyboard is not suited for everyone, but those that are able to live with its shortcomings should really come to love it.

Who should get it: power users who own multiple devices and intend to keep the keyboard in place most of the time

Who should avoid it: mobile warriors working in noise sensitive environments

One-liner summary: the Logitech k480 delivers great functionality, value and performance sacrificing portability and noise suppression

The Logitech k480 is it for you?