Hey folks,

Originally posted on Turbulencegains.com

Been using the ESR Rebound Magnetic Keyboard Case with my 11” iPad Pro M1 for about a month now and figured it’s time to share some thoughts. I’m a cadet pilot, studying psychology, and also running a blog where I write about fitness, tech, and aviation. Basically, my iPad isn’t for chilling or watching YouTube. I’m typing, editing, note-taking, and prepping for DGCA exams on this every single day.

I didn’t want to pay 16k for Logitech’s Folio Touch, and Apple’s Magic Keyboard was way out of budget. I already liked ESR’s accessories, so I decided to give this one a try. Reached out to them with a few pre-sale doubts, and they threw in a 20% refund after the purchase. Pretty sweet start.

Build and Grip

The case feels way more premium than what I expected. It’s made of a soft rubberized matte material that gives a grippy, confident hold. But yeah, it picks up smudges and fingerprints pretty easily. I’ve got a bit of OCD, so I clean it often with a microfiber or isopropyl cloth. Still, I’ll take smudgy and solid over slippery and shiny any day.

The hinge is sturdy and smooth. It tilts to most angles I need whether I’m working at a table, on the bed, or even in an airplane seat. No creaks, no wobbles. It feels like something you can trust not to break when adjusting it.

Typing and Trackpad

Typing is actually enjoyable. The keys have a satisfying click, aren’t too cramped, and feel stable under the fingers. They could’ve added a bit more key travel, but for a portable setup, it’s more than usable. Backlighting is available in multiple colors, but I just stick to white. The rainbow effects look kinda cheap in serious work settings.

The trackpad works well for general multitouch gestures. Scrolling, pinch-zooming, three-finger app switching all smooth. What I do miss is tap-to-drag. You can’t just lightly drag windows or files. You have to press down physically to move things, which feels a bit stiff. Not unusable, just mildly annoying.

Also, no dedicated Escape key. You’ll need to use Fn + ` to get that function. Takes a few days to get used to.

Battery and Bluetooth

Battery life is excellent. I use it around 2 to 3 hours a day, five days a week, and I didn’t charge it for the entire month. When I finally did, it charged from dead to full in about 90 minutes via USB-C. Bluetooth connection has been flawless. Turns on, reconnects instantly, no weird drops or lag.

Lap Use

Decent, actually. It’s bottom-heavy enough to feel stable on your lap. Of course, it’s not as comfy as a full-sized laptop, but I’ve typed entire blog posts while sitting cross-legged or in a moving car. It doesn’t fall backward or act wobbly like some lighter folio-style cases.

Magnet Strength

One of the things I was skeptical about was the magnetic attachment. But this thing holds on tight. The iPad snaps in with a strong click, and doesn’t budge. You’ll need both hands to pull it off, which honestly gives me peace of mind when I’m tossing it into a backpack or carrying it around.

What I’d like ESR to improve in version 2

Checkout full review Here on Turbulencegains.com

Just bought a rebound magic keyboard for the iPad 13 OLED. It has the rubber thin case around it that you can remove. It's thick and heavy but I couldn't bring myself to drop that cash on the apple version since I dont use the Magic Keyboard all day. Moreover, the magic keyboard offers poor protection and it's pretty easy for the chassis to get dinged up or scratched even in a laptop bag. Most of the time my iPad is docked next to my Mac Studio, but I certainly do use it as a laptop replacement aswell so I still need something. At any rate the ESR version feels alot more solid than the older 12.9 magic keyboard, typing is better and the base is alot more stable. The downside is you have to charge it and it's thicker and heavier. I figure the extra weight is not a huge deal though since you pretty much only ever use it on your lap sitting down or on a desk. Than when you want to grab and go with the tablet, you just pull it off the keyboard. Also the ESR one allows you to use it in portrait mode. Anyone else rocking the ESR rebound case with the new iPad OLED?

I made this post a few days ago and, as it seemed the ESR case was the only option for what I wanted, I went ahead and bought it to see if it would work for me, so here's a giant block of text about it.

TL;DR: Am disappoint. The only benefits of the ESR case are the ability to put the iPad in portrait orientation, and price - it's remarkably heavy and an inch thick, with an inferior keyboard. The Combo Touch is better in nearly every way, although still not perfect.

Here's the L O N G version:

Disclaimer: I have the Logitech Combo Touch on my 2018 iPad Pro. I like it a lot. The new Combo Touch for the M4 iPad Pro is a different model that I don't have yet - it's a bit thinner & lighter than the older model, uses different materials (sadly) but the overall design and the keyboard layout are the same - so this may not be a *direct* comparison - but should be close enough on functionality.

PRICE:
I'll start with the most important spec for a lot of people:
ESR Rebound Magnetic Keyboard Case 360: $109.99
Logi Combo Touch: $229.99
I got my old version of the Combo Touch on Amazon refurbished/renewed; paid just under $80 after tax, it was in perfect condition. I don't expect to be that lucky with the new model.

WEIGHT:
The biggest complaint about the ESR case on Amazon reviews was the weight, so i broke out the scale and got to work:

• Old iPad (A1980 ~469g) + old Combo Touch (I got 567g, Logi says 574g) = 1036g total.

• New iPad (A2837 ~446g) + ESR case (830g!) = 1276g. The ESR case is indeed HEAVY. Logi's site lists the new Combo Touch for the M4 iPad at 474g. iPad + case would be 921g - 355g less than with the ESR.

Why is the ESR case so heavy? It has a battery and all the circuitry to support that, it has a hinge that supports the full weight of the iPad, and it has a detachable case for the iPad with a bunch of magnets. It also feels pretty solid, and doing all of that with inexpensive materials means more weight (and more size).

KEYBOARD:
The Logi's keyboard is superior here. The keys are larger & closer together, require less travel, and have better tactile feedback. The differences are small, but noticeable. The Logi also has dedicated function keys which I appreciate.

The ESR keyboard is laid out in such a way that the heels of my hands end up right on the edge of the keyboard. This is due to the cantilevered design of the ESR case, which covers the top inch of the keyboard with the iPad - the Apple Magic Keyboard also does this. The Logi sets the keys further back, and my wrists sit on the wrist rest, which is much more comfortable. This also allows the Logi to have a much larger trackpad - on an 11" ipad this is a big difference.

DESIGN & HINGE:
The other limitation of the cantilevered design is the viewing angle. With the Logi, I can put the iPad at just about any angle. The ESR does not tilt back very far, so if you put it on your lap it’s not at a great angle (the Logi is not particularly comfortable on a lap due to the kickstand, but it is do-able).

Also, the kickstand on the Logi case makes the iPad very stable - you can poke at it, use touch, etc. and it does not move. Whereas with the cantilevered design of the ESR case, when you touch the screen it wiggles around. It’s not extreme or what I would consider unstable, but it is noticeable and can cause some unintended double-taps.

With the Logi, when you detach the keyboard, the case still has the kickstand, and that can be very useful. With the ESR, you pull the iPad off the rest of the case, and you just have this very sleek, minimal case with nothing else - it feels great in the hands. I can definitely see pros and cons to both of these, this one is up to personal preference. I think in the end I lean toward the Logi way of things, but the slim case that you get with the ESR might be one of the best slim iPad cases around.

The magnets in the ESR case aren’t quite strong enough to hold it up on the fridge with just the iPad part of the case, but when working together with the magnets in the base/keyboard part of the case the attraction is pretty solid. You can attach the iPad to the case at different heights and, the big attraction for me - you can put the iPad in portrait mode! I would have been happy if I could just stand the iPad up in portrait orientation, even if I couldn't use the keyboard. But the ESR case makes it work both ways, and at different heights. It's really nice.

TRACKPAD:
The ESR's trackpad is smaller than the Logi, and not as responsive. Could be due to Bluetooth, but I’ve used a Bluetooth mouse on an iPad and haven’t felt this kind of lag. When I haven’t used the touchpad for a couple minutes, it seems to go to ‘sleep’ and park the cursor in the top left corner - so I have to drag it back down to where I need it each time. I feel like I’m having to click a second time about half the time to get what i need. I also find myself moving the cursor with the heel of my thumb accidentally here and there. The physical click is very similar to the Logi's, but overall it's not a great experience.

OTHER DETAILS:
The ESR's keyboard paired with the iPad quickly and easily right out of the box. But I'm used to the Logi's keyboard just being an integral part - since it's connected with the pogo pins, you never have to charge it or turn it off or on - it just works, all the time. With the ESR, you have to charge it, and you have to turn it on and off, and wait for it to re-pair, etc. It most definitely feels like a separate accessory, whereas the Logi feels like an extension of the iPad itself.

Also the ESR case has a flap to hold the pencil, but I don't have a pencil, so it just kinda flaps around and adds bulk that doesn't need to be there. Looks pretty secure if you do have the pencil, though.

One of the (many) things I liked about the Logi case that I have on my old iPad is that it's outer layer is fabric. it's so nice - it does not hold fingerprints, and it's comfortable to touch and put my wrists on. It's far preferable to the plastic and polyurethane and, IMO, even to aluminum. The new Logi Combo Touch for the M4 iPad does not offer this fabric finish - it's a soft PU finish with an aluminum panel for the bottom of the keyboard. I'm sure this saves some weight and bulk (the new case is 100g lighter and 3.4mm thinner - 13.5 vs. 16.9) - but I'm still disappointed.

CONCLUSION:
Big mad. I want what I want and I can't have it. I hate deciding between two almost-good-enoughs. I do understand that engineering the ability to change iPad orientation into a case like the Logi Combo Touch would increase the weight and complexity, which would decrease reliability and increase cost. But I would be happy if Logi would just notch the kickstand on one side, so I could detach the keyboard and stand it up.

I will be returning the ESR case and picking up the new Logi Combo Touch, even at twice the price and with no portrait orientation. My use case for the iPad is when I want more than a phone and less than a laptop - and 1276g (and 25.7mm thick!) is enough of a laptop that it doesn't make sense. I'll just take my MacBook that weighs 1610g, is only 15.5mm thick, and has a 14" screen.

All in all the Logi is a significantly thinner, lighter keyboard case that is much nicer to use - while the ESR performs most of the same basic functions, offers a portrait orientation, and is less than half the price.

Talk amongst yourselves, I’m verclempt.