apple smart keyboard folio for 12.9 ipad pro 2018

As a result, there’s technically no “drawing board” orientation for this case, although you can find a few examples of users sort of making it work online. Because of the hinges and the need for balance, the Magic Keyboard case only opens to a specific angle, as the other hinge handles the actual tilting. It’s not an ideal case, though, if you’re an artist or frequent Apple Pencil notetaker. This is all great news for anyone who’s been wanting to use their iPad Pro more like a laptop. I like how you’d barely know the passthrough charging port was there unless you were looking for it. You can’t use this port for anything else, but fortunately it frees up the USB-C port on the tablet itself so you can hook up all the external drives, cameras, and other devices now supported with iPadOS. Nor does Apple limit the hinge to one job, as you can also charge the iPad itself through the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port on the left end of the largest one. If you have big hands, it’s something you’ll want to watch out for. I’d go so far as to say that I like this kind of display arrangement more than the traditional laptop layout option, were it not for the fact that my fingers sometimes bump into the underside of the iPad while I’m typing. Apple released an ad depicting a hummingbird tilting the display backward just by tapping it, but in my experience it’s going to take a bit more force than that.

The Magic Keyboard, though, features a system of two hinges that makes the iPad “float” about an inch above the keyboard, allowing you to tilt the screen until it settles into the perfect viewing angle.

With the Smart Keyboard Folio, you simply propped the iPad into one of two grooves, which didn’t allow for a lot of options for viewing angles. The real improvements, though, appear once you open the case all the way. The Magic Keyboard case (left) next to the Smart Keyboard Folio.

Apple smart keyboard folio for 12.9 ipad pro 2018