Brydge

When it came to trying the upcoming Brydge Max+ keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it seemed most sensible to write it up as a head-to-head against the Apple Magic Keyboard. Both are premium-priced keyboards with integrated trackpads, and are essentially chasing the same user demographic.

I’ve long been a fan of Brydge keyboards, and have used them with all my iPads – but have so far been using Apple’s Magic Keyboard with my 12.9-inch iPad Pro…

Following its announcement last month of the new Brydge 12.9 MAX+ for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Brydge today announced its latest keyboard/trackpad combo, this time for the iPad Air. The new Brydge Air MAX+ features an expansive keyboard and multi-touch trackpad with a magnetic design, backlit keys, and more.

The popular iPad accessory maker Brydge is returning to public life today with a series of announcements. The company is introducing multi-touch trackpad support for its Pro+ keyboards, as well as an all-new MAX+ keyboard and trackpad combo case, featuring OtterBox protection, for the 8th generation iPad.

I’ve spent the last few weeks testing Brydge’s new firmware with multi-touch support on the Pro+. Head below for the details.

Popular iPad accessory maker Brydge has released a new Brydge Connect app for iPadOS today. This app will allow users to update the firmware of their Brydge Pro+ keyboard and trackpad case, the company says.

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Alongside its new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard with trackpad, Apple this week unveiled trackpad support in iPadOS 13.4. What this means is that in addition to using Apple’s Magic Keyboard, most other trackpads and mice can also now be used with iPadOS.

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We learned last week that Brydge is set to launch its popular iPad Pro keyboard with a built-in trackpad. The company was showing off the new Pro+ iPad Pro at CES today, and we were able to go hands-on with it just as pre-orders have opened up. We also got a look at the iPadOS Trackpad, a highly portable standalone option.

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We’ve known since 2018 that a new Brydge iPad keyboard with trackpad was on the way. The company advised us in October of last year that it had working prototypes of both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions.

The company gave us only a glimpse of the new device at the time, but it has now revealed the price and rough timing…

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We reported last month on an iPad keyboard with a trackpad, seen above, noting that it appeared to offer interesting-looking competition to Brydge. It now seems it may not be competing for long: Brydge has issued a lawsuit accusing the company behind the device of patent infringement.

Although Brydge’s iPad keyboards don’t include a trackpad, its models for the Microsoft Surface and Google Pixel Slate do, and the company has been working for some time on an iPad model with trackpad…

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Brydge has some interesting-looking competition coming up! The Libra keyboard offers the same MacBook-like aluminum design, but with a built-in trackpad ready to take advantage of the mouse support in iPadOS 13.

Libra is available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but an included case means you can also use it with the 11-inch model – though only by making the smaller iPad less portable. It’s available in a choice of silver and space gray.

In addition to the trackpad, the Libra claims two further advantages over Brydge…

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There are a lot of options when it comes to external keyboards for the iPad Pro. Apple makes its own Smart Keyboard, and companies like Zagg and Logitech routinely release sleek options. One of the most beloved makers of iPad Pro keyboards, however, is Brydge. With a MacBook-style aluminum design, there’s a lot to love about the Brydge Pro for the iPad Pro. But how does it compare to Apple’s own Smart Keyboard? Read on to find out.

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Updated prototype issues, below. See also our comparison of the 11-inch model with Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio.

I can never understand how Apple can make such fantastic tablets, and such terrible keyboards for them.

Ok, perhaps ‘terrible’ is an exaggeration, but the latest Smart Keyboard Folio for the 12.9-inch iPad is – like the first – a distinctly average typing experience, and a pretty cheap-looking hunk of plastic …

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When I tried the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, one of the things that put me off was the quality of the keyboards available at the time. The only one I could get hold of on day one was the Logitech Create, which I found ugly and not a great typing experience. The Apple Smart Keyboard, that I got to try later, was a bit prettier but still not fantastic to type on.

What I really wanted at the time was for Brydge to bring out a version of its iPad keyboard for the 12.9-inch model. It eventually did so, and I got the chance to try it this week …

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One thing I love about 9to5Mac readers is how engaged they are in the comments. My review of the ClamCase Pro iPad keyboard case last month led to a lively discussion about the relative merits of that vs the Brydge keyboard, so I decided to give that a try for a retrospective shoot-out.

The Brydge Air is a slightly different beast to the ClamCase, being just a keyboard and not a full case. It still hinges shut in a laptop-like clamshell fashion, but there’s no rear protection on this one. That, as we’ll see, has both pros and cons … 
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We told you earlier this month about the “NoteBook Case” for iPad—a bluetooth keyboard case that does a good job of turning an iPad into a MacBook-looking netbook. That case is now available in the United States and Europe through CPeel, but today we look at another impressive keyboard case currently on Kickstarter called “Brydge.”

Like the NoteBook Case, the Brydge iPad case gets much of its design cues from the MacBook Pro line. The differences include aerospace-grade aluminium, optional built-in speakers, and a patent-pending “click-in” hinge providing close to 180 degrees of positioning freedom. The hinge is made of “metal alloys and magnets, with a thermoplastic elastomer shell.” By all accounts, at first glance, this appears to be one of the better made keyboard cases we have come across.

The Kickstarter project is currently at just $2,855 in pledges from 16 backers, but it still has 39 days to reach its $90,000 funding goal. A $150 donation will get you the model without speakers, while a $180 donation earns a model with speakers. If the project reaches its funding goal, the company plans to ship the first units by October. A full gallery of close-ups and the different models is after the break.

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