Zagg’s Folio Case with Keyboard ($80-$100) is the first keyboard case we’ve seen for Apple’s new iPad mini 4. The Bluetooth keyboard case bears a resemblance to other Zagg keyboard cases, such as ZaggKeys Folio for iPad mini and the ZaggKeys Folio for iPad Air. It holds the iPad mini 4 in a shell on one side, which folds down onto the keyboard. Together, they form a folio case which protects the iPad mini 4’s screen — the volume controls and sleep/wake button are left exposed. Folio’s shell cannot be separated from the keyboard, so you’ll have to use it in a landscape position. Folio Case comes with either backlit or non-backlit keys. The backlit version adds $20 to the price, making it an even $100; we received the $80 non-backlit version of the case. The keyboard case comes with a micro-USB cable for charging, though Zagg claims the keyboard can go two years on a single charge.
Folio Case with Keyboard is an aesthetically appealing case. It combines black plastic with a black textured material on both sides. It also keeps a slim profile for a case carrying both an iPad mini 4 and a keyboard — just under .75” thick when the case and keyboard are side-by-side. We also appreciate that the case activates the iPad mini’s sleep/wake screen.
The case opens up to adjust to any viewing angle up by 135 degrees. That’s it, though — you can’t remove the shell from the keyboard, so you’re pretty much stuck using the iPad mini 4 in landscape position in front of a keyboard. This is marketed as “Folio Case with Keyboard,” but it’s very much a keyboard case.
Typing on Folio Case goes about as well as one could expect from an iPad mini keyboard. Connecting via Bluetooth is quick and simple. The plastic keys are punchy enough, though of course, they suffer from a general reduction in size, as all iPad mini keyboards do. Considering that we wouldn’t recommend long-term typing on an iPad mini keyboard — unless you’ve got small hands — we probably wouldn’t bother springing for the backlit keys edition.
Though iPad mini 4 is a bit taller than past iPad minis, it still doesn’t offer enough length to really allow for a great keyboard option. There are still limitations. But Zagg’s Folio does the best it can within those limitations, at a decent price. We wish the case’s shell separated from its keyboard, or at least could be folded back behind the keyboard to use in portrait mode. But Folio is a solid performer, earning our general recommendation.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Zagg
Model: Folio Case with Keyboard
Price: $80-$100
Compatible: iPad mini 4
