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ZAGGkeys Mini 7 Review: The Perfect iPad mini Companion

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While many tablets today are more known for their ability to consume content, Zagg is helping to change our perception of touchscreen-only slates to productivity devices thanks to the company’s ingeniously designed keyboards that are specifically made to complement a wide range devices. And the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 extends Zagg’s leadership in crafting well-made keyboard cases that enhance the utility of our tablets, and in this case specifically, the recently unveiled iPad mini with its 7.9-inch display. Though the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 keyboard lacks the backlit keys of the larger ZAGGkeys Pro Plus model that’s designed for the larger iPad 2 and iPad with Retina Display, the Mini 7 offers a great typing experience with great tactile feedback along with protection for the iPad mini.

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Design

The ZAGGkeys Mini 7 is both a case for the tablet as well as a Bluetooth keyboard. The outer material of the case feels like a grippy moleskin cover that’s soft to the touch. The synthetic material adds a nice amount of grip, but over time I suspect that the material will attract dirt and dust, which may be hard to wipe down because wiping the cover with anything that can leave lint will leave even more debris on the cover, a catch 22.

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In closed position, the keyboard position folds over the iPad mini’s display and serves as a screen cover. Unfortunately, it’s not a smart cover, and you’ll still need to manually turn on your iPad when you lift off the cover.

When closed, the the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 will protect the screen and sides of the iPad. One thing to note is that in closed position–see image above, there is nothing really to latch keyboard portion securely to the iPad mini portion to keep both portions shut. This may matter if you drop the iPad mini in the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 case as the screen and keyboard portion may separate and expose the screen upon impact. One potential suggestion to Zagg for a future model would be to create a strap that secures both halves in place, similar to the elastic band found on Moleskin notebooks.

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Protruding lip helps cushion the screen upon impact if you drop the iPad mini on a flat surface screen-side down.

Regardless, as the iPad portion of the case protrudes up taller than the screen forming a lip around the display, the screen will be relatively protected if it falls flat and opened facing a flat floor. If you drop the iPad mini in the case with the screen open onto protruding gravel, then that’s an entirely different story.

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You can see the lip that extends out and above the screen to cushion the screen if the device falls with the keyboard portion open. The lip also holds the iPad mini into the case portion.

As the case offers protection to the iPad mini itself, you’ll find that the package adds a bit of thickness and weight (it has to accommodate the keyboard with mechanical keys as well as battery to power the Bluetooth radio) and the whole package measures in at around 1 1/4-inch thick when closed.

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Thickness of the closed package compared to an iPhone 5.

There are cleverly cut out openings to make it easy for the dual speakers to be amplified, the Lightning cable to be connected, as well as for camera access.

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Cutouts for ports and buttons.

The areas around the power button, mute/screen rotation lock keys, and volume buttons are also cut out as well to give access.

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Micro USB charge port on the right hand side of the keyboard. It’s located on a thick part that houses the battery as well.

And on the edge that houses the iPad mini’s Lightning connector, on the keyboarded flap, you’ll see a slightly thicker portion that houses a micro USB charge port to charge the keyboard’s battery. As the keyboard connects to the iPad mini via Bluetooth, some power is required and Zagg claims a single charge will last for months.

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Kickstand extended, similar concept to Microsoft’s Surface tablets.

When opened, the keyboard and the iPad mini are intended to be used in landscape mode, similar in concept to what Microsoft had envisioned for the Surface tablets. In fact, there’s a clever flip-out stand on the back portion that houses the iPad mini.

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Ribbon and tension hold the flip-out stand in place.

The stand itself is held by tension with a ribbon, and when you prop up the iPad mini on a flat surface, the weight of the tablet side along with gravity fully extends the ribbon and gives you a viewing angle of roughly 130-140 degrees. It’s not bad, but you’re not able to adjust the viewing angle if you want to tilt the screen further. Tilting the screen more upright may cause it to collapse onto the keyboard portion and close.

Additionally, by nature of this design, the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 must be used on a flat or relatively flat surface, like a tabletop, to be efficient. Else, if you’re using it on a bed, the rear flip-out stand may collapse and either make the screen fall down flat or close the screen onto the keyboard portion.

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Thickness of the keyboard portion

This form factor is similar to the Surface with the Type cover and the the keyboard portion is really rather slim considering it does have mechanical keys similar to those on a laptop, and not cheap membrane-style keys like on foldable or rollable rubber keyboards on the market.

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Raised, island-style keys and not the cheap membrane keys. These keys are 13% smaller than a traditional keyboard and offer great tactile response. Superb experience even with the smaller key size.

The keyboard itself has keys that are island style and is roughly 13 percent smaller than the keys of a traditional Apple keyboard.

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Row of special function keys up top

There are special function keys as well, such as those for copy and paste as well as going home and searching the iPad using the Spotlight search feature. Holding down on the home key on the keyboard–so you don’t have to reach up onto the iPad mini, will evoke Siri. Additionally, there are keys for music control, volume adjustments, and locking the tablet–turning off the display.

How It Works

The ZAGGkeys Mini 7 connects to the iPad mini via Bluetooth. There are two membrane keys at the top right edge of the keyboard for the power and Bluetooth keys. You’ll need to first charge the battery. Once you’ve charged up the battery, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until it glows. Then, do the same with the Bluetooth membrane button and then you can turn on Bluetooth on the iPad mini and pair the two devices.

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Bluetooth and power buttons and indicator lights. The buttons are membrane buttons–just push where the logos for these buttons are imprinted and you’re good. Hold for a second or two.

The pairing process is painless and no Bluetooth key or code was required to pair. You’ll only need to do the pairing process once and that’s it.

Afterwards, open up your favorite word processing app or browser and begin typing. In my experience, there was no lag between the typing on the keyboard and letters appearing on my tablet’s screen. It feels natural.

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Experience

With the smaller screen of the iPad mini, typing was not as comfortable as it was on a full-size iPad, and add to the fact that typing on a touchscreen with no tactile feedback is never really gratifying to begin with, Zagg created a perfect complement to the iPad mini. The company has perfected the mobile keyboard, and the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 shows thoughtful attention to usability in crafting a great design while ensuring maximum usability.

The keyboard, with keys that are 13% smaller than traditional keyboard keys, is a bit cramped, but that’s not really Zagg’s fault as creating a larger keyboard would mean that the whole case wouldn’t be fitted specific to the size of the iPad mini’s 7.9-inch display.

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Typing on 13% smaller keys.

Over time, I did get accustomed to the smaller keys, and in typing, I noticed that I used about 3-4 fingers on each hand rather than perform full 10-key touch-typing. It’s not a big deal, and it does beat typing on the cold glass of the iPad mini.

The keys do offer nice tactile response, and being that it’s a keyboard over a flat surface, the keyboard itself doesn’t flex, unlike on some keyboards found on more budget-oriented keyboards notebooks and ultrabooks.

What’s Missing

Still missing from the keyboard is a trackpad, similar to the keyboard dock on the Asus Transformer Pad series. However, I think this is more the fault of iOS not supporting a mouse input natively. It’d be interesting to see if Apple and Zagg or other developers could leverage this design, and perhaps use an app on the iPhone to turn the smartphone into a trackpad for the iPad mini via a Bluetooth connection. That would create an elegant solution for iPhone- and iPad mini-wielding consumers.

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No trackpad. You’ll still need to switch between the iPad mini’s touchscreen and the keyboard a lot, depending on what you’re trying to do.

And unlike the ZAGGkeys Pro Plus, there is no backlighting for the keys. It’s not a big deal, but those who type in the dark may need to adjust more on this design as the keys are smaller and require some re-training.

Weight

While the iPad mini itself is lightweight enough for me to comfortably hold and read in bed at night, folding the keyboard portion back on the iPad mini, like Apple’s Smart Cover, definitely makes the package feel heavy and rather uncomfortable to hold. As such, the ideal use for the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 with the iPad is in landscape mode with the keyboard portion activated and ready for typing.

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Holding the cased iPad mini with keyboard portion wrapped around back like a folded-over magazine.

And I am worried that as the iPad mini is secured to the case itself via a lip that extends slightly over the display, removing and replacing the iPad mini too often may stretch out the lip so that it no longer securely holds the iPad mini into position.

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With the keyboard portion wrapped around to the backside–think Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga–you can hold the iPad mini in this folded-over magazine style orientation, though the entire package adds weight that may make it uncomfortable to hold for longer durations.

It’s a minor quibble, but still a worthwhile one for those who may prefer to jump between different form factors–slate and keyboard clamshell. On the Microsoft Surface, for example, you can quickly snap off the keyboard portion and on ZAGGkeys Pro Plus for the larger iPad, you just lift the iPad out of its dedicated stand and that design offers more versatility. While this type of keyboarded folio case is elegant and affords more protection to the tablet, I wish Zagg also offered a non-folio design that’s more minimalistic and offers more versatility to users.

Conclusion

For those with Surface-envy, at $90 through Zagg the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 is an excellent investment for those who are looking to be more productive on the go and are looking for little bulk. The ZAGGkeys Mini 7 is a multifunctional tool that is 100 percent keyboard, a great kickstand, and a durable case for your tablet, and the accessory does everything superbly in an elegant package. And considering that this keyboard case is made by the same people who makes the virtually indestructible Invisible Shield, you’ll know your tablet will be well-protected.

And as to the faults that we found with the ZAGGkeys Mini 7, those weren’t really anything on Zagg’s part, but rather due to restrictions of Apple, such as the issue with no trackpad.

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No one does mobile computing keyboards like Zagg, and the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 is no exception. Specifically sculpted for the iPad Mini, the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 never leaves my tablet and is the perfect accessory to help me be mobile and productive.

 

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. dksmidtx

    12/05/2012 at 7:30 am

    Imagine that – looks just like a Surface RT with that kickstand – just sayin…

  2. Kris

    12/05/2012 at 1:33 pm

    So what is the weight of the ZAGGkeys Mini 7? The iPad 4+Logitech Ultrathin keyboard combo (which closes in clam-style) is 2.2 lbs, and you have an almost full size keyboard and much larger screen real-estate for productivity.

  3. WI

    12/06/2012 at 4:55 pm

    Trackpad? The whole screen is a trackpad.

  4. gerry sanders

    12/10/2012 at 12:16 pm

    So how much does it weigh. Why is that not made more obvious?

  5. Melissa

    12/11/2012 at 12:09 pm

    There were no real instructions with it when I bought it. Nothing to explain what the keys mean or anything and I have not been able to find anything online yet. Rather frustrating. Almost makes me want to take it back..

  6. J. Dordel

    12/17/2012 at 9:44 pm

    Can’t pair. Which key is the pair key?

  7. E N M

    12/23/2012 at 1:04 pm

    I’m returning mine. It doesn’t close (as mentioned above) which means it’s not a case and the mini WILL fall out – many times. The keyboard is good but I wanted a keyboard AND a case. This isn’t it.

  8. BeyondtheTech (@BeyondtheTech)

    12/26/2012 at 9:43 pm

    Just picked mine up and it’s nice, but adds the right amount of bulk to still be tolerable (at least for me). However, the lack of a magnetic clasp for the keyboard is a real head scratcher, considering they did add a magnet for the kickstand in the back. I’ll give it the full 14 days before wondering if its really worth it.

  9. Julie Gattenio

    12/26/2012 at 11:04 pm

    This was a superb review! You pointed out exactly the things I would want to know, and the pictures were very helpful. I really appreciate the time and effort you must have taken to write such a precise and thorough article.

  10. Frank Opelka

    12/29/2012 at 3:05 pm

    Zagg Mini 9 is a complete disaster. I bought one and on day two, the lower portion of the keyboard just quit. Re charging to assure battery power was of no help. I returned and got a second Mini 9. The new one turned out to be only slightly worse. It does not work at all. Despite a 4 hour charge, when it is powered on the power button light never goes off and none of the other keys work at all. The bluetooth does not work so no other keys work.
    What a disappointment.

  11. Hans Sollinger

    12/29/2012 at 4:27 pm

    Does not have a magnet, they sell it in 2 sizes,be careful mine has 18 mm space on each side.Must be for another tablet and labelled wrong.Not the ususal Zagg quality product.Do not buy at this point they rushed it to the market.

  12. iPad mini

    01/11/2013 at 4:06 am

    that what i am looking for ,,,learned

  13. Jeanette

    01/11/2013 at 11:36 pm

    I returned mine, I got it at best buy the mini iPad doesn’t click in and it would fall out! It didn’t come whit any instructions it’s not worth the price at all!

  14. Louise Kaplan

    01/31/2013 at 9:15 pm

    I have now returned 2 of these; I soo wanted this to work; very slick keyboard…..however, it would not close tightly. Thought it was a little tacky to carry it with a rubber band around it to keep it closed. Save your money; do not buy this, no matter how cute it looks!

  15. Pam

    02/01/2013 at 12:26 pm

    I received a ZAGGkeys Mini 7 as a gift, and I am seriously considering returning it. I type quickly & I find the keys stick A LOT. During a 5 hour meeting, I had to switch to the Ipad keyboard many times as specific letters kept sticking on the ZAGG keyboard (N, M, J, H, U). It was a real pain – fortunately there is a function key that allows you to switch between the two on the fly.
    I also am not thrilled with the lack of a closure. My agenda style cover has an elastic strap sewn into the underside of the cover so it is not visible from the top.

  16. Barbara Kayser

    02/12/2013 at 5:43 pm

    Would the 7″ work with a NextBook Multi Media Android Tablet?

  17. shirley Becker

    02/15/2014 at 1:48 pm

    I have had my Zagg mini keyboard 7 about a year. The mini fits very snugly in the case and I have no fear of it coming loose. When I shut the cover the mini Ipad shuts down and the cover does not open easily so I have no fear of the keyboard opening. The only problem I have had and it just occurred – I was trying to plug in the charger and the little mini plug came out of the keyboard entirely. I wrote to the company and am now waiting for a reply.
    I would recommend the Zagg 7 very highly for functionality for all people with a iPad Mini. Just be careful when plugging in the charger.
    Shirley Becker

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