Zagg Flex Portable Universal Keyboard

Great keyboard, ticks all the boxes – I first bought a Zagg keyboard back in April 2015. It was the “Zagg ZAGGkeys FLEX” keyboard, a predecessor to this one I suppose. It was a great keyboard and I would often recommend it to friends. Mine unfortunately died a few months ago, after almost seven years of service. I think the fault was a break in a small wire/connection, which resulted in a few of the keys no longer working. Still, I suppose it was a reasonable amount of time for such an electronic device to last.

I did some research for a new keyboard, and found the Logitech K380 often recommended (e.g. on The Wirecutter, Amazon, etc). However a friend has one of those, and I’m not a fan. In particular, I don’t like that they use AAA batteries rather than a rechargeable lithium ion battery, nor am I fan of the round keys. And since I was so happy with my previous Zagg keyboard, I looked to their range. They have quite a few models available, but I liked the look of this Zagg Flex model the best; it seemed like an upgraded version of my old one. So I bought one from Dick Smith, in February 2022, for $85.

I’ve been using the keyboard for a few months now, with my iPhone 11, and I’m very satisfied with it. It indeed seems similar to my previous Zagg keyboard, but with some extra features and improvements. I’m therefore already used to the key spacing, which seems to be the same. I found the key resistance slightly more than my previous keyboard, which is fine (and which could be due to the old one having worn out somewhat). The keyboard is narrower than a traditional keyboard and even though I have big hands, the spacing feels great to me and I have no problem touch-typing quickly on it. In fact it feels a little awkward now using a full-sized keyboard.

The Zagg Flex seems to tick almost all the boxes. It is light-weight and portable; paired with my iPhone it makes for a very compact and capable set-up. It has a rechargeable lithium ion battery which lasts a year on one charge and its state of charge can be checked on the keyboard. Its case turns into a stand for your phone or tablet, which is also detachable from the keyboard if you desire. It can switch between two different devices just by pushing a button; I find this useful for switching from my phone to my partner's phone when she wants to use it (as she doesn’t have her own). It has a backlit keyboard with three brightnesses and seven colours to choose from, and the ability to turn it off to extend battery life; I usually don’t need this feature since I can touch-type, though it is sometimes useful. Also the keyboard turns on automatically when you open the case, and goes into standby after a short period without a keystroke.

So it’s an improvement on my old Zagg keyboard, for which I had to to slide a switch to turn on; which had no key backlighting; and which didn’t have the ability to easily switch between devices. On the down-side, this keyboard is slightly larger and heavier in comparison, but on the other hand it appears to be a better quality construction. The additional weight could also be partly due to the magnets inside the keyboard and case, which enable it to automatically turn on when opened, and for the stand to be held in place - fair trade-offs for the weight, in my books. I also think the stand design on this keyboard is superior to the old one; this stand has some adjustability, and the way it folds out into position is neater, and I prefer that it’s connected to the keyboard, unlike my old one.

The only downside I can see is that it costs more than many of its competitors (at the time of writing it’s retailing for upwards of $100 in Australia). Still, given how much I use it, how long I expect it will last, and how much time it saves me, that’s a price I can justify. The only other gripe I have is that the “@“ key and the “”” keys have swapped places from my old keyboard, and the “£” key returns the “#” symbol, while the “#” key returns the “£” symbol.

Overall though the keyboard is excellent, I’d definitely recommend it. It seems to me to be the best option on the market, for someone using it with a phone or tablet. I don’t get why the Logitech K380 is recommended over this one. I also don’t get why everyone doesn’t use these types of keyboards for their phones. Having used one, I can’t stand typing on a phone without a keyboard because it’s so slow in comparison. I always use my keyboard to batch reply to messages/emails instead, as well as for any other typing on my phone, whenever I can. It turns your phone into a little laptop for most day-to-day purposes, and I find I rarely need to use the laptop or desktop for anything.