The Brydge 12.9 MAX+ Helped Me Appreciate the Magic Keyboard even More

I have a short list of complaints about the $350 Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro to add to the long list that others have offered. But after trying to live with the Brydge 12.9 MAX+, I now have a much greater appreciation for the Apple product. My criticisms still apply. But they are tempered by the reality that no one has offered a better alternative. One of the ways we can know if a thing is a “hard computer science problem” is by observing that no one has fixed it.

Another realization is that engineering is not a matter of dealing with a feature or characteristic in isolation. It is all interconnected. Pull one thread and it affects the entire fabric. You can “fix” any one feature, but at the cost of others. Engineering is about managing compromises. Some compromises will result in consumer gripes. You only need to see another company undo that compromise to see the result. Often, it ends up producing even more consumer dissatisfaction. So at the end of the day, everyone has to determine which compromises they are willing to accept. Apple’s compromises are looking smarter all the time.

To be clear, there are a lot of things I like about what Brydge has done. But the end result is an experience that has me appreciating my Magic Keyboard even more, and continuing to search for occasional alternatives. Here are some specific examples:

Size and Weight

I used to think the Magic Keyboard was big and heavy. As it happens, it is the thin and light keyboard case compared to the Brydge offering. There are some good reasons for this. I suspect the main reason is that the Apple keyboard uses the Smart Connector for pairing and charging whereas the Brydge uses bluetooth and requires an onboard battery. Those components require the keyboard deck to be as thick as a notebook’s lower deck and almost as heavy.

There is also the function row and capacious trackpad to consider. Brydge went all out while Apple went with a tiny trackpad and eliminated the function row altogether. Those things contribute to internal mechanisms, size, and weight. The other major contributor to the weight of the Brydge is that back panel. It offers a better way to mount the iPad compared to the previous model. But it is a large and heavy piece. The end result is that the Brydge is uncomfortably heavy and somewhat obese. The case is thicker than the iPad it holds. Apple’s compromises make a lot more sense to me now.

Trackpad, Key Travel, and Function Row

Magic Keyboard for iPad sports a small trackpad. To be honest, it is uncomfortably small at times. This was one of my day-one complaints that still holds true. Like so many things about the Brydge offering, the trackpad seems like it was sourced from a leftover parts bin from 2013 MacBook Pros. It is the diving-board style rather than the more modern kind. PC and Android users will feel right at home with it. But it feels a little outdated for Mac users.

What Apple has done a reasonable job with over the years is including accidental wrist touch rejection when typing. It isn’t perfect. But it is pretty good, especially considering how large their trackpads are. Brydge nailed the size, but not the touch rejection. Your typing will be all over the place as the cursor will periodically jump about. Text intended for the end of the line will end up in the middle of the document. It is rather frustrating. There seems to be no adjustment you can make to keep this from happening.

The tiny trackpad on Apple’s offering does not suffer from this problem. This is one of the upsides of having a smaller trackpad. It is also worth noting that Apple’s trackpad can be pressed anywhere with very little force. It is much nicer to use. When it comes to tracking and accuracy, there is no contest. You think the Brydge trackpad is doing a pretty good job until you use the Apple trackpad. That one is pure butter. It is the difference between tracking on a PC and tracking on a Mac. One is clearly better than the other in ways that are hard to describe but easy to detect.

I really like function keys. But if I am being honest, it is only for screen brightness and volume adjustments. I do like having a dedicated key for Home and Screen Lock. In reality, I never use anything other than brightness and volume. I have other ways of doing those things with the Apple keyboard that are not as handy as dedicated keys. But get the job done.

The worst part of the Brydge keyboard is the backlight. It, too, is something from 8 to 10 years ago. The light bleed around the keys is so bad, one would think Brydge has never heard of this problem. They would be better to not include a backlight than to include a bad one that just makes everything look muddy. The backlight on the Apple keyboard is sublime. There is comparatively little blight bleed and the keys are easy to read in any light. You cannot adjust the backlight as easily. But you don’t need to. The Brydge backlight is a mess and a mistake. If you care about keyboard backlighting, you will not be inclined to give Brydge many points for the one they included.

There is also the matter of key travel. I believe most people will like the key action of the Brydge. But I am a fan of the newer Apple style of short-travel keys. I like the Magic Keyboard a lot. It requires little effort to press the keys and has an immediate and satisfying snap. The MAX+ keys require more effort and could lead to more errors and strain for someone used to the Magic Keyboard. I am still going to put it in the WIN column for the Brydge. However, part of the price you pay for that deeper travel is a thicker and heavier case. Apple has shown that this is not a good compromise. You can make a thin keyboard that also has a great typing experience. See also, Microsoft.

Form Factor

The floating hinge form factor of the Magic Keyboard looks cool, but is not great in many ways. Due to the fear of tipping over, Apple limited the tilt. The bottom of the keyboard slightly overhangs the number row of keys. If you tilt the iPad as far back as it will go, the top of your fingers click against the bottom of the iPad. This is the case for those of us with long fingers and a frantic typing style. I hate it. This is one of the main reasons I am looking for an alternative.

Unfortunately, there are only so many ways to keep a top-heavy laptop stable. A tablet-based laptop will always be top-heavy because all of the weight is in the tablet. To counter that, you have to put some weight in the bottom. That still does not keep it from tipping over when open. Apple fixed the problem with the floating cantilever design. Brydge went with a traditional laptop form-factor that allows for an extra row of keys and no iPad hanging over one’s fingers.

The downside is that the base of the unit has to be even heavier. You can definitely lean the iPad back quite far. But if you let it go in that position, the whole thing just tips over. There is another small problem with the hinge design Brydge chose. When you tilt the iPad back, the bottom of the hinge raises the back of the unit which gives the keyboard a lift and angle that is better for typing. That is great on a desk. But it digs painfully into your legs when holding it in the lap. If the lid was a typical laptop screen, it would be so light that it wouldn’t matter. But with a heavy iPad weighing it down, the sharp edge of the hinge makes it a non-starter for using in the lap. That’s too bad because I prefer the laptop form factor and don’t mind the unit being a bit tippy. Once again, Apple’s solutions seems to be better. And to date, no one else has made a better laptop-style version of an iPad keyboard case.

Price and Performance

It is said that design is not how a thing looks but how a thing works. In the same way, price is less about what a thing costs and more about how it performs. Is the iPad overpriced? Don’t give me a breakdown of the components. Tell me how well it works and solves the problem for which it was made. At $350, the Magic Keyboard is easily worth the price. At $250, the Brydge 12.9 MAX+ is not.

Had Brydge paid the price for Apple’s special connector, they could have made a slimmer, lighter case that eliminated the need for bluetooth and a battery. They would have charged more. But it would have been worth it. Instead, they made a worse product due to chasing a price point. That might work for PC and Android users. But it is a bad compromise for Mac users.

There is also the problem with software compatibility. If you are using a beta, or even the latest software depending on the timing, Brydge will not be compatible. There were lots of bugs when using it on iOS 15 beta. I didn’t mention them but they are certainly an issue. Apple’s first-party keyboard does not have any such issues. I suspect it is because everything just works through the connector. But Brydge relies on software updates. They are not very fast with those updates. I suspect that the kind of people who would spring for such a product are also the kind of people would use betas. I am also willing to bet that when iPadOS 15 is officially released, Brydge software will not be ready. This guess is based on past experience. By using a third-party solution that relies on their own software, you will always run into this problem. My understanding is that Logitech does a much better job because they work more closely with Apple and use the Smart Connector.

There is one last issue which has to do with the customer service. I tried to return the keyboard after a couple of days of trying to work around the issues. There is no simple way to do it. You have to send an email. After a day, someone got back to me and asked me to send them a video showing the issues. I am not a videographer and am not set up for that. But that is not the point. One shouldn’t have to deal with that to do a simple return after only a couple of days of ownership. I noticed they also charge a restocking fee. That is, if you are blessed with the permission to return it at all. My advice is if you want to try one of their products, don’t buy anything directly from Brydge. Wait till it shows up on Amazon.

Needless to say, Apple makes returns painless. They don’t ask questions about returns made within the return window. They also return the full amount you paid. Their customer service is far superior in every way. That is also included in their asking price. And it’s worth it.

While this is not a review of the MAX+, my conclusion is that it is not ready for primetime. I don’t think it ever will be. Further, the company puts up road blocks to returns that no other major company bothers with anymore. They are a kickstarter brand with a kickstarter mindset. And I doubt they will ever be more than that.

I will be looking at Logitech options. But I already know I am not interested in their Surface-like form factor. For now, Apple makes the best keyboards for the iPad. And while expensive, they also offer the best value, warts and all.

David Johnson