Simplest Mac Keyboards 2024

Ticket When Reviewed:$109.ninety nine

It’s stressful to maintain up with Logitech’s ever-rising MX differ of keyboards, nonetheless the MX Keys S is its most widespread high-of-the-differ wi-fi keyboard, priced at $109.ninety nine/£109.ninety nine. Its slimline, low-profile diagram is intensely well-organized and bright, and on hand in both gloomy, pale grey or a Mac-bask in graphite. It’s solidly constructed, though, and capable of surviving some heavy-handed typing when it wants to.

The MX Keys S is cheaper than Apple’s Magic Keyboard, nonetheless also a lot more versatile, as it entails a dedicated space of buttons that can present aid to pair it with three separate devices, including Macs, iPads, House windows PCs, and even Linux and Chrome devices. You even contain two ideas for connecting it to your Mac, as it will use regular Bluetooth or a separate USB wi-fi adaptor that affords higher differ and reliability than Bluetooth (even though it’s unfamiliar that this adaptor and the charging cable both contain USB-A interfaces, so you might presumably well presumably must provide an adaptor if your Mac most bright has USB-C).

The customary MX Keys turned into launched about a years within the past, so this up to date MX Keys S entails moderately about a fresh components, comparable to Purpose keys that is possible to be passe to set off dictation to your Mac, originate the emoji menu, or restful/unmute your microphone for video-calls. The backlighting has been improved too, automatically reacting as you first cross your hands onto the keyboard, and adjusting to suit the ambient gentle within the room around you. The backlight does drain the battery though – the keyboard can final for up to 5 months whenever you happen to’re no longer the use of the backlight, nonetheless this drops to around 10 days whenever you happen to contain the backlight to your complete time.

That you can use the MX Keys S with any Mac, and it will work bask in a outdated skool keyboard with a row of Purpose keys that regulate settings comparable to brightness and volume, or activating Exposé. Nonetheless, Logitech also gives an app, known as Alternatives+, which requires macOS 12 or later. This allows you to reprogram the deal of Purpose keys to diagram moderately about a duties. It will even be configured to work with particular apps comparable to Photoshop or Premiere, which makes it an especially gorgeous possibility for decent customers who desire to velocity up work of their key apps. The app has also been up to date for the MX Keys S, adding a brand fresh Orderly Actions aim that works a little bask in Apple’s Shortcuts, by allowing you to file a chain of actions that is possible to be ended in the use of a single key.

Ticket When Reviewed:$149; $179 with numerical pad

On the initiating leer, the two Magic Keyboard items launched by Apple in mid-2021 leer very equivalent to the original items – which might presumably well presumably be aloof on hand and reviewed here as well. Nonetheless, these more moderen items lift moderately about a fresh components that aren’t on hand on the older Magic keyboards. For starters, these fresh items are formally referred to by Apple as (1) the Magic Keyboard With Contact ID For Mac Items With Apple Silicon ($149/£149)and (2) the Magic Keyboard with Contact ID and Numeric Keypad for Mac Items with Apple Silicon ($179/£179). Explain there are House Gray variations that cost more ($199/£199) so be distinct you pick the white items whenever you happen to desire to effect money.

That’s a little of a mouthful, nonetheless Apple is making it abundantly distinct that the fresh keyboards are particularly designed for perhaps the most widespread Mac items that contain Apple’s home-grown M1 processors. That you can use these fresh keyboards with older Macs that contain Intel processors, nonetheless you’ll in point of fact most bright be ready to use them as frequent QWERTY keyboards for typing, as many of the fresh components – including the Contact ID sensor that sits within the live row of Purpose keys – won’t work on Intel Macs.

The elementary diagram of the two keyboards hasn’t in point of fact changed that important, with the identical slimline diagram and month-prolonged battery lifestyles as their predecessors. The smaller Magic Keyboard With Contact ID is priced at moderately a top class for the Contact ID sensor. And, bask in the regular Magic Keyboard, it feels slightly little, with a tiny House bar and cursor keys. The shortage of ‘shuttle’ – the up and down movement of the keys as you press them – also makes the keyboard in point of fact feel a little expressionless for folk that style a lot and desire a little more tactile suggestions when they’re typing up a storm. Nonetheless, you might presumably well presumably in point of fact feel that your fingers must total much less ‘work’ compressing perhaps the most principal. Apple also launched fresh variations of the Contact ID keyboard with gloomy keys in early 2022.

The important thing aim of these fresh keyboards, though, is the Contact ID sensor, which sits by the F12 button on the live row of Purpose keys. This works staunch bask in the Contact ID sensors on the iPhone and iPad, and – on Macs with Apple Silicon – you’ll peek a brand fresh Contact ID panel seem in Machine Preferences in case you first connect the keyboard. This allows you to retailer up to three fingerprints, which you might presumably well use to unlock your Mac, or to style proper payments on the Apple Store, or moderately about a on-line stores that increase Apple Pay.

There are about a pretty about a fresh components as well, including an Emoji expose on the Fn key within the backside-left corner of the keyboard, which displays the Emoji viewer panel in insist that you just might presumably well immediate add emojis to any document or message that you just’re typing. There are fresh Purpose commands too, for activating Spotlight, Dictation and Attain No longer Disturb.

As in any respect times, the bigger version of the keyboard is important dearer nonetheless the numeric keypad can be priceless for folk that discontinuance a vogue of number crunching at work.

There’s more space to present a bigger House bar too, and bigger navigation keys. Even so, the thin keyboard panel methodology that the keys aloof in point of fact feel a little expressionless, so industry customers and budding novelists might presumably well desire to leer at some of the bigger and more solidly constructed keyboards on hand from moderately about a producers.

Ticket When Reviewed:$69.ninety nine

I’ve never understood the must attach batteries and Bluetooth into keyboards. In spite of everything, if a keyboard is staunch going to sit down to your desk your complete time then it’s both simpler and cheaper to determine for a easy USB connection as a replace. And, as this is a backlit keyboard, you don’t must misfortune about the backlight draining the battery both. Satechi is without doubt some of the few firms that aloof makes an even differ of wired keyboards, such because the cheap Slim W3, which costs staunch £62.ninety nine/$69.ninety nine Satechi also has a proper background within the Mac market – making some in point of fact priceless Thunderbolt hubs and docks – which ensures that the W3 gives gorgeous Mac increase too.

The Slim W3 is aptly named, as it measures staunch 9.9mm thick, and lies practically totally flat to your desk, even though Satechi also entails about a tiny risers that you just might presumably well stick onto the inappropriate of the keyboard whenever you happen to desire to amplify the tilt a little bit. It’s sturdily constructed too, with a hard aluminum panel that weighs 440g, and the keys shuttle well given the slimline, low-profile diagram of the W3.

The keyboard is slightly substantial, measuring 420mm wide and 115mm deep, on the opposite hand it entails a numeric keypad, arrow keys, a space of navigation keys, and even manages to squeeze in a minimal of 19 Purpose keys as well, staunch bask in Apple’s dearer Magic keyboards. Alternatively, whenever you happen to desire one thing a little bit more compact, then Satechi also makes a smaller wired mannequin known as the W1, costing £Fifty three.ninety nine/$59.ninety nine that omits the numeric keypad and navigation keys, as well to moderately about a mechanical keyboards that are more suited to gaming or excessive-velocity typing.

The categorical disappointment is that Satechi is a in point of fact US-centric company, so its keyboards most bright offer US layouts. That’s no longer too important of a advise for UK customers, though, as you might presumably well aloof use frequent commands comparable to ‘Shift+3’ to print the ‘£’ symbol, even though the US format methodology that the ‘3’ key is labeled with the ‘#’ symbol. However, whenever you happen to desire non-English layouts then you’ll must leer in numerous places.

Ticket When Reviewed:$ninety nine.ninety nine

Logitech’s Craft and Ergo K860 keyboards are both designed for particular forms of customers, nonetheless whenever you happen to’re staunch looking out for out an even frequent-reason keyboard then its MX Keys differ is stressful to beat.

Basically the most widespread mannequin within the differ is the fresh MX Keys Mini ($ninety nine.ninety nine/£ninety nine.ninety nine) and has a compact, low-profile diagram that clearly pitches it as a replace to Apple’s beget Magic Keyboard. And, to be factual, Logitech’s years of abilities with mice and keyboards in point of fact give it the brink.

The elementary diagram of the MX Keys Mini is spectacular. Accessible in a differ of colors, it’s heavier and sturdier than the Magic Keyboard, with firmer keys that in point of fact feel more responsive when typing. The keyboard has a backlight too, with a sensor that automatically activates the backlight as your hands manner the keyboard, and then turn it off after about a seconds in case you growth away.

The backlight does drain the keyboard’s rechargeable battery, lasting most bright 10 days whenever you happen to contain the backlight on corpulent brightness the total time. Nonetheless, turning the backlight off extends that time to a corpulent five months – far longer than the finest month offered by Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

The tip row of Purpose keys works automatically with the Mac, allowing you to regulate the backlight, volume and moderately about a controls. Logitech’s Alternatives app also enables you to program the Purpose keys to diagram moderately about a duties, comparable to opening Mail or Safari.

There’s also a bigger version, simply known as the MX Keys, which has a separate numeric keypad as well – and this has no longer too prolonged within the past been on sale on the identical impress because the MX Keys Mini, even though it’s no longer distinct if that impress decrease will discontinuance up to be permanent.

Apple’s keyboards are a little complex within the intervening time, with two generations of keyboards on hand, and each abilities providing two moderately about a keyboards, with or without a numeric keypad.

The older abilities of Magic Keyboards is aloof on hand, and is now supposed basically for use with older Macs that contain Intel processors. These older keyboards lack the Contact ID sensor that is on hand with the two fresh keyboards that Apple launched within the summertime of 2021.

Nonetheless, Contact ID and some of the most moderately about a components of the fresh keyboards don’t work with Intel-based mostly totally Macs, so if your Mac has an Intel processor then these older keyboards are the finest ideas on hand from Apple – even though, clearly, there are hundreds of moderately about a keyboards on hand from moderately about a producers, which we review here as well.

The smaller Magic Keyboard is possible to be dear at $ninety nine/£ninety ninenonetheless its tidy slimline diagram began a construction for ‘low-profile’ keyboards that many deal of producers now apply too.

The aluminium body does in point of fact feel moderately sturdy, nonetheless the slimline diagram methodology that the keys don’t ‘shuttle’ very well, so quick typists might presumably well desire a bigger keyboard that is de facto designed to total some proper work in desire to staunch taking a leer slightly.

The House Bar and the little space of navigation keys within the decrease-staunch corner of the keyboard are also slightly tiny and fiddly. To be gorgeous, though, the compact little keyboard does squeeze in deal of priceless components, with the live row of Purpose keys providing controls for brightness, volume and taking half in tune.

The Magic Keyboard works as a outdated skool Bluetooth keyboard, and Apple says that its rechargeable battery will final for roughly a month at a time. Esteem any Apple keyboards it has a Lightning port for charging, nonetheless perhaps the most widespread version of the Magic Keyboard – also up to date in Summer season 2021 – now entails a USB-C-to-Lightning cable, so be distinct you don’t purchase an older mannequin from moderately about a on-line stores, which might aloof contain a USB-A cable as a replace (unless, clearly, you’ve received an passe Mac that most bright has USB-A connectors).

And, clearly, there’s the bigger version, known as the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad ($129/£129). This can be moderately dear nonetheless adds a numeric keypad for folk that must total a little of remarkable number crunching on occasion. This keyboard also has a bigger space of navigation keys, which is intensely priceless for scrolling through prolonged documents or on-line pages, and an additional space of navigation keys that can present aid to immediate leap to the live or backside of a document.

The larger keyboard format also methodology that there’s room for some additional Purpose keys too, going staunch up to F19 (in desire to F12 for the smaller Magic Keyboard). It’s a shame, though, that the choices within the macOS for programming your beget keyboard shortcuts are slightly little, so strength customers might presumably well desire to use a third-occasion utility comparable to USB OverDrive or HotKey App, to style corpulent use of these additional Purpose keys. This bigger keyboard has the identical month-prolonged battery lifestyles because the smaller Magic Keyboard, even though it’s showing its age a little bit as (surprisingly) its charging cable aloof has a USB-A connector.

That you can win the finest prices for Apple Keyboards and Mice in our affords spherical-up.

Satechi’s W3 is a corpulent-dimension wired keyboard with a low-profile diagram that is basically designed for use with Macs. In disagreement, its SM1 is a more compact wi-fi keyboard with tough mechanical keys, and the ability to immediate swap between Mac and House windows modes as required.

The SM1 has a 75% format that contains a easy QWERTY keyboard with a row of Purpose keys, nonetheless lacks a separate numerical keypad. That retains the dimensions down to staunch 308mm wide and 119mm deep, so it doesn’t soak up very important desk home in any respect, and you might presumably well presumably without trouble budge it into a backpack whenever you happen to wished to maintain it around with you. It’s solidly constructed, though, and makes use of brown keys that are comfy ample for quick typing whereas also providing gorgeous tactile suggestions for gaming (moderately about a forms of mechanical keyboards can offer red and blue keys as well).

It’s also impressively versatile for the form of compact keyboard. That you can pair the SM1 with four separate devices and swap between them, and that you just might contain got got the choice of connecting by process of Bluetooth, a USB wi-fi adaptor that’s incorporated within the box, or simply choosing a wired USB-C connection (even though the wi-fi adaptor has a USB-A interface, so you might presumably well presumably want an adaptor for Macs that most bright contain USB-C). There’s a row of 12 Purpose keys that increase frequent Mac commands for adjusting brightness and volume, and activating components comparable to Mission Withhold watch over or Spotlight. It has the regular Explain and Chance keys that you just’d rely on on a Mac keyboard, nonetheless you might presumably well swap between Mac and House windows modes with a temporary shortcut, and Satechi even entails three spare keys for the House windows menu and Alt keys, in insist that Window customers can bodily swap keys and truly feel more at home.

The rechargeable battery lasts for up to two months whenever you happen to’re no longer the use of the backlight, even though this drops to a modest 16.5 hours when the use of the backlight (which incorporates 14 eyeball-frazzling lighting patterns that is possible to be controlled the use of a pretty about a lighting key). Nonetheless, the keyboard has a sleep mode to preserve battery strength by turning the backlight off if the keyboard hasn’t been passe for a whereas. I turned into also glad to search out that you just might presumably well use the SM1 in wired mode as well, the use of the USB-C cable that is incorporated within the box, whereas also recharging the battery on the identical time. Factual undergo in suggestions that Satechi most bright gives keyboards with a U.S. format, so there’s no possibility that’s perfect for non-English languages.

Ticket When Reviewed:$199

The Craft is Logitech’s wi-fi keyboard designed for creatives across House windows and Mac, and it’s fantastic. The keyboard is sleek, sparkling and components a proper body, providing a sturdy keyboard that can never cross when in use.

The Craft components elevated key steadiness that doesn’t most bright decrease noise when when compared with equivalent keyboards, nonetheless the spherical key designate makes it more straightforward to orient your fingers and beauty immediate and precisely. The typing abilities is discontinuance to perfection, with both comfort and accuracy in suggestions.

It components backlit LED keys bask in a lot of deal of keyboards, nonetheless with a distinction. Thanks to a constructed-in proximity sensor, the keys will most bright gentle up when your hands are discontinuance to the keyboard. Admittedly it’s most bright a tiny aim, on the opposite hand it in point of fact highlights the eye to part required to develop this keyboard.

For certain, perhaps the most principal aim of the Logitech Craft is the Microsoft Dial-esque input dial on the live-left of the keyboard. The dial is totally contextual, and the capabilities will swap reckoning on the app you’re the use of.

This is executed automatically for standard apps bask in Google Chrome, Photoshop and Illustrator, on the opposite hand it is going to even be space up manually by process of the Logitech Alternatives app. Tapping the dial gives fetch entry to to a unfold of capabilities, from volume regulate to brush dimension to tab switching. Whatever you want, the dial can present it.

The Logitech Craft is stunningly sparkling and impressively useful, and is a need to contain for all Mac strength customers, no longer staunch creatives. It costs $179 (currently on sale for $169.ninety nine)/£189 from Logitech.

Ticket When Reviewed:$ninety nine.50

Penclic is a Swedish accent company with a mutter focal level on products that again decrease repetitive strain damage and moderately about a desk-related diseases.

That methodology the KB3 has a firm focal level on ergonomics, with a steady key shuttle, glad spacing, corpulent-sized keys, and a refined gradient to the aluminium body.

The KB3 is a equivalent dimension and vogue to Apple’s beget Magic Keyboard, nonetheless opts for a more colourful diagram, the gloomy body broken by orange and teal highlights as an instance the deal of secondary key capabilities.

Esteem the Magic Keyboard it’s wi-fi and rechargeable – though it makes use of Micro-USB – and is bask in minded with iOS. It also has the added perfect thing about working with House windows and Android in case you ever must spoil out of the Apple ecosystem. It costs $109.ninety nine/£89.ninety nine.

Ticket When Reviewed:$124.90

Video-editing programs comparable to Apple’s Closing Slice Pro X regularly use dozens of keyboard shortcuts to set off deal of editing instruments and commands, and attempting to undergo in suggestions all those shortcuts is possible to be an staunch headache in case you’re attempting to fetch your work executed in a bustle.

Logickeyboard produces specialised keyboards designed for Closing Slice and moderately about a inventive applications. The elementary diagram of the keyboard is intensely equivalent to Apple’s beget keyboards, with a slimline diagram and aluminium casing, and a at hand pair of USB ports for plugging in a mouse and moderately about a devices.

It has your complete identical aim keys as Apple’s keyboards, so you might presumably well regulate iTunes or modify the brightness and volume. And, clearly, it is possible to be passe as a frequent keyboard for typing in Microsoft Note and moderately about a programs, and there’s a numeric keypad for recordsdata entry as well.

Nonetheless, it also has the largest Closing Slice editing commands printed on the related keys, and the keys themselves are colour-coded for immediate fetch entry to.

LogicKeyboard also makes equivalent keyboards for moderately about a apps, comparable to Apple’s Logic Pro X and Adobe’s After Results.

Ticket When Reviewed:$199.ninety nine

SteelSeries makes some ultimate gaming gear, and I’ve prolonged passe its Aerox mouse and Arctis headphones with my put of business iMac for frequent put of business use as well to gaming. Its keyboards are more of a mixed collect, though. The Apex Pro is one of its high-of-the-differ mechanical keyboards and is marketed as being Mac-bask in minded, and – bask in most keyboards – it works perfectly well as a frequent QWERTY keyboard. Nonetheless, dear keyboards comparable to this have a propensity to give additional components too, and there’s a vogue of deplorable asterisks* tucked away on the backside of the Apex Pro online page that states – “no longer all software components supported on macOS”. The company’s SteelSeries GG app hasn’t been up to date for a whereas, and its increase pages also recount that ‘compatibility for Macs with Apple Silicon is little’.

Even so, the Apex aloof boasts some sparkling components, no longer least of which is its spectacular originate quality. It’s a corpulent-dimension wired keyboard that entails a row of Purpose keys, navigation keys and numeric keypad. The frame of the keyboard is made out of ‘airplane grade’ aluminium which is intensely sturdy, and the mechanical keys contain an especially comfy action when typing. The slightly hefty impress label also entails a wrist-relaxation as well. Nonetheless, the little Mac app methodology that the first few Purpose keys are unused, and I wasn’t ready to fetch the GG app to connect my frequent space of keyboard shortcuts to them (even though I had better success the use of the third-occasion HotKey app that is on hand free of charge on the Mac App Store).

Other Purpose keys work on the total, though, including F10 and F11 for activating Converse or showing the desktop. That you can use the special SteelSeries key to use additional commands with these keys, comparable to F11 to manage the keyboard backlight as well. There’s also a at hand volume dial on the live-staunch corner of the keyboard that enables you to immediate modify or restful the amount. Other components live frustratingly out of reach, though, including the tiny OLED conceal that permits PC customers to see additional components that are on hand internal the SteelSeries app for House windows. The Apex Pro is well well designed, and SteelSeries does recount that updates for the Mac app are on its ‘roadmap’, nonetheless within the intervening time it’s in all likelihood finest suited to serious gamers who are engaging to position in some work to conquer those boundaries.