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

I received this keyboard case today and I love it, except for one thing that is probably a dealbreaker. My Apple Pencil will not pair or charge with the protective case on. It’s supposed to, but no. 😫

Now I have to decide whether to exchange for the ESR Ascend keyboard case (2nd pic), get a different protective case or… use without? I will say this one is pretty heavy and the Ascend case is lighter. Anyone had experience with either of these?

For tho who own this case, specially with the m4 pro 13' has anyone noticed any sort of electrostatic interference or anything that may cause your iPad to shutdown/restart, or go black screen? When I close my iPad with this case and it's almost closed, the iPad has this clicky sound, wha happens is that when I close it and reopen it again, my iPad is off. I started opening and closing it and I realized that the was turning my iPad off, not sure if this could be a technical issue coming directly from my iPad or any sort of issue with the keyboard itself. I did take the iPad to the apple support appointment, and since I restored it before the appt to protect my info, they did say it didn't show any recent report and it was fine. It's not, and I have to take it again, just trying to figure things out, thanks.

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.

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?

After looking on Reddit and not wanting to spend close to $300 for a keyboard I decided to try out the ESR Rebound keyboard. Here is my take:

ESR Pros:

• strong magnet and heavier

• option to light up keyboard and change the color

• considerably cheaper (~$100)

• good typing experience

• comes with separate case

• can go into portrait position with iPad

ESR Cons:

• the trackpad for me was lagging (this was a dealbreaker for me)

• not as luxe of a feel as the Magic Keyboard

• the case it comes with isn’t good quality and is difficult to put on and take off

• at times the experience overall wasn’t good- whether keys not typing or just not being able to scroll properly, the experience felt clunky

• needs to be charged

• doesn’t recline as much (this threw me off when I first tried it)

• not as seamless when folded into folio

Magic Pros:

• strong magnet and overall cleaner look and experience (folds into folio very nicely)

• better typing experience

• trackpad has zero lag

• usb C connection ports

• connects automatically

• no need to charge

Magic Cons:

• price is crazy (but, I bought mine as an open box from Best Buy for $200)

• no backlight

• does not go into portrait position on magnets (this doesn’t bother me personally)

Verdict: if it’s not obvious, I much prefer the Magic Keyboard. My iPad serves as my personal computer so the typing and trackpad experience needs to be excellent and high quality. I didn’t get that experience with the ESR personally despite all the raves I’ve seen about it. I like the Magic Keyboard enough to consider buying it at full price if I had to- that being said there are a few options online for refurbished or open box that are excellent deals.

Hopes this helps! And also, neither are great for typing in lap. That’s where my old MacBook Pro wins… I will need a lap table when I sit on the couch.

I recently bought two ESR cases: the Shift (think ZUGU copycat) and Ascend Lite (think Logitech Folio copycat). Both have something unique to them in that they put the iPad itself in a magnetic case and then the folio/keyboard connects to the magnetic case.

Unfortunately the magnetic cases for the Shift/Rebound are not compatible with others accessory. It would have been great because it would be the perfect way to swap between keyboard and folio extremely easily. Really quite a missed opportunity there.

Hey all, does anyone know if the ESR shift Ipad innner case can magnet onto the Rebound keyboard case without having to change the inner cases?

They both look to be the same protective inner cover.

I was able to snag a brand new one for $55 on Facebook marketplace but I’d pay full price for it. Key travel is excellent and keys are clicky, trackpad is responsive, love the backlit keys, battery life seems great. My favorite part about this is that the iPad itself is in a case that you can remove from the keyboard if you want to use it in your hands. Very satisfied with ESR products…I’ve had other ESR cases in the past and they never disappoint. In my particular case I have the M2 13” Air, but they make this case for the pro models as well as the base iPad. Highly recommend!

Does anybody have this? I spilled my drink on my magic keyboard and now it’s not working properly. I’m now looking for a cheaper option. I liked this one because it has a sepereate silicone case beetween the ipad and the keyboard and has a pencil slot. Both of these things were what i hated about the mgk so this keyboard seems great but I need to now if the trackpad, magnets, and the overall weight distrubiton(i’m used to using my mgk on my lap) is good? Can you tell me what are it’s cons except it being bluetooth.

Last August, I bought an iPad Air 13 (M2) and an ESR Rebound Magnetic Keyboard Case to go with it. Initially, I used the keyboard case sparingly, but I'm pretty sure everything worked right. Lately, I've been getting into using Screens 5 to remote in to my home systems when away. In using Mac OS through screen sharing, I'm now running into an issue with the keyboard case. Right click (secondary click) now doesn't seem to work at all with this keyboard case (thought it worked in the beginning).

I've turned on two finger secondary click in iPad OS 18.3.1, but it never works with the keyboard case (in Screens, trying to right click in other iPad apps, in SpringBoard trying to right click on an app icon). The same actions work correctly with my Magic Mouse.

Does right click from the trackpad work for other people with this keyboard case?

The keyboard case works well enough other than this. I'd prefer getting rid of bluetooth and using the Magic Keyboard, but I had been holding out for a new one, but now realized they improved some things and made it worse in others (only comes in white, no backlit keys, and still ridiculously expensive for what it is). I could've accepted the last issue, but with the first 2 I'm rethinking my plan. I've sent a message to ESR support as I should have a 24 month warranty, but I haven't heard anything back yet. So, I thought I'd reach out here to see if others used this keyboard case.

I should mention that at least some multitouch gestures work, so it is detecting >1 touch at a time, but I can't find any solid info on right click. I have tried resetting it by holding down the C R & L keys per the manual.

Thanks!

Very slim! Love all the different angles that the case provides for viewing. The case doesn’t provide much protection but it does allow you to set it down without setting it right on the camera lens that Apple has made their signature kickstand lol

Hello,

I run an ebay business and these ESR are one of my best sellers. However, i had a return that I am really confused about and need some assistance to whomever owns an esr keyboard.

This buyer returned this item because it did not come with the magnetic hard sleeve so he deemed it useless. I do not have a problem accepting this return but this buyer made an "item not as described" return claim. I have many of these keyboards in stock but only have 2 of these Rebound Series model and they both do not have a hard case while others do. I also noticed the one that comes with the hard case, specifically states that in their description. this one does not and if you look at the photo - there is no hard case.

My question is, are there different types of ESR Rebound Series model? Or is this buyer right and they ALL come with a hard case? This was for the Ipad air 13" / ipad pro 12.9 (6th, 5th, 4th.....)

An Open Letter to ESR (and Other Case Makers) About iPad Keyboard Cases – A Cautionary Tale of Chad, Magnets, and Coil Whine

I want to tell you the story of my very brief but memorable relationship with the ESR keyboard case for iPad. This isn’t just a product review — this is a cautionary tale for anyone buying magnetic cases, and a wake-up call for every accessory maker who thinks magnets are just magic stickers.

It's a story that started after my original Apple Magic keyboard for iPad decided that the comma and the dot are no longer needed Who uses punctuation these days? It's not a bug - it's optimization The fact that my comma key went into a comma renders the keyboard unusable because I like my punctation Just as an example I did type this paragraph on the broken keyboard not using commas and dots Good luck reading it And all that after 14 months of fair use and zero abuse I do care for my devices pretty well but I type a lot It's my job I digress

The Good: A Great Alternative to Apple's Premium Pricing

Before I get into the magnetic disaster, let me be fair—ESR actually made a great keyboard.

• The typing experience? Surprisingly good.

• The build quality? Feels premium.

• The fact that it’s less than half the price of Apple's Magic Keyboard? Amazing.

Honestly, I really wanted to love this product. I was even tempted to cut out the middle section of the back panel—removing all the unnecessary magnets in the center—just to make it safe. That would’ve left me with a perfectly usable portrait-mode-only keyboard case without the electromagnetic horror show. But should I really have to perform surgery on a brand-new product to make it safe?

The Symptom: My iPad Became a Singing Electric Toothbrush

The moment I attached the ESR keyboard case, my iPad — previously a silent, elegant device — started humming like an overworked microwave. Coil whine. Angry coil whine - especially when scrolling. The whole case vibrated perceptable when scrolling web pages or watching videos.

Take the case off — silence.
Snap it back on — bzzzzzzzzzz.

This is not normal for a fanless, passively cooled tablet.

Diagnosis: Magnetic Overkill

It took about 20 seconds of basic troubleshooting to figure out what’s going on: ESR stuffed the case with way too many magnets, placed way too close to the iPad’s sensitive power delivery circuitry—particularly the display backlight driver and the GPU voltage regulators.

These components rely on precise switching frequencies to regulate power efficiently. Slap a strong magnetic field on top of them, and you mess with that behavior. The result?

• Inductors start to sing.

• Capacitors resonate.

• Your expensive tablet turns into a low-fidelity speaker driven by electromagnetic chaos.

This isn’t just annoying — it’s a design flaw that could shorten the lifespan of critical components. Some people around say - they used such cases and it all seems fine. True - immediately - you won’t notice much, however long term your power regulation circuits would feel the pain and that can lead to all kinds of issue.

The Real Villain: Chad from Marketing

This is where we meet Chad—the spiritual embodiment of every product manager who dreams up unnecessary features after watching a TED Talk.

At some point in ESR’s development cycle, Chad had a vision:
"You know what would really differentiate us from Apple? Portrait mode! Nobody else lets you type in portrait! I use my iPad vertically all the time! And so does my mom!"

The engineers—who probably built a perfectly good landscape keyboard—objected. They knew portrait mode would require magnets strong enough to hold the iPad vertically, risking interference with internal components. But Chad wanted innovation, so they added magnet steroids, and portrait mode was born.

The result:

• Extra magnets.

• Extra cost.

• Extra EMI interference.

• Extra top-heaviness, making the whole setup wobble like a giraffe on roller skates.

And all for a feature that nobody asked for except Chad and his mom.

Bonus Irony: ESR, Do You Even Know What Your Name Means?

The cherry on top? ESR stands for Equivalent Series Resistance—a basic electrical property that every electronics engineer learns on day one.

Yet here you are, proudly wearing that name while shipping a product with a textbook electromagnetic interference failure baked into its design. It’s like naming your restaurant Gourmet Cuisine and serving instant noodles with ketchup.

But This Isn’t Just ESR’s Fault

To be fair, ESR isn’t the only offender here. Multiple users have reported this same issue with other cases:

• In this discussion, several users reported coil whine and buzzing from their iPads when using the ESR Shift Case, confirming that I’m not the only one experiencing this.

• In this thread, someone found the exact same issue caused by an OtterBox case—proving that this is not an ESR-only problem but a widespread third-party accessory issue.

• In this discussion about the iPad Pro M4, users debated whether magnets could damage iPads.

What This Means:

1. This is a real problem affecting multiple brands. ESR is just the worst offender I encountered myself.

2. Most people don’t even know this can happen. Many assume magnets are fine because Apple uses them, but they don’t realize Apple carefully places and shields their magnets, while 3rd party companies just throw them in blindly.

3. Accessory makers need to take electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) seriously. Slapping magnets all over a case without understanding how they interact with power circuits is reckless.

My Plea to ESR (and Friends)

Stop. Just stop.

• Nobody needs portrait mode typing.

• Nobody needs magnets strong enough to hold the iPad upside down during an earthquake.

• What we need is a simple, stable, landscape keyboard case that doesn’t hum, buzz, or slowly kill our devices and is cheaper that Apple’s.

If ESR (or any other brand) wants to actually beat Apple, do it by being smarter—not louder. Stop chasing gimmicks and start respecting the basic physics of the hardware you’re trying to complement.

You could have built the perfect Magic Keyboard alternative — but instead, you gave us a magnetic instrument of chaos. Please, rethink this for your next generation. And maybe, gently escort Chad out of the product meetings.

TL;DR:

• ESR keyboard case = great design, ruined by too many magnets.

• Magnets cause coil whine, buzzing, and possible long-term damage.

• This isn’t unique to ESR—it’s a broader third-party case problem.

• All this just to support portrait mode typing, which nobody wanted except Chad and his mom.

• ESR, you’re named after an electronics term—maybe act like it.

P.S. If there’s a real Chad at ESR, this is just satire.

EDIT: Removed all bold fonts from the text

I have an iPad Pro m4 with an ESR rebound keyboard, it seemed to be working fine, but when I downloaded the IOS 18 beta it hasn't been working since. I charged it for 8-11 hours and there's no chance of it turning on, is this because of IOS 18 beta or am I doing anything wrong?