Mokibo Fusion Keyboard for iPad Pro

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Competitive price.

Firm keyboard with large, comfortable keys.

Works with a variety of mobile devices and operating systems.

Cons

No physical trackpad.

Virtual trackpad feels a bit awkward.

No charging cable included.

Our Verdict
The virtual trackpad feature isn’t entirely successful, but the Fusion Keyboard gets the basics right, with a firm, comfortable keyboard and cover at a competitive price.

Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today

Price When Reviewed$160 (currently reduced to $119.90) 11-inch iPad Pro; $175 (currently reduced to $139.90) 12.9-inch iPad Pro

Best Prices Today: Mokibo Fusion Keyboard For iPad Pro






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Mokibo




$119.90



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There are several versions of Mokibo’s Fusion keyboard available, including one that’s designed for Windows and Android devices, but it also makes a couple of models that are specifically designed for use with iPads. The company’s website refers to these as the Fusion Keyboard For iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch, but they may also work with other models as well – for instance, the 12.9-inch Fusion Keyboard that we review here seemed to fit my new 13-inch iPad Air with no problems. Unfortunately, the information on Mokibo’s website is often vague and unclear, so you should pay close attention to the compatibility list that is provided for each version of the keyboard.

A good example is the fact that the iPad version of the Fusion Keyboard acts as both a keyboard and a wrap-around cover – something that is barely mentioned in the product description. That’s a shame, as the Fusion Keyboard is actually well designed, and certainly more affordable than many rival keyboards from companies such as Logitech and Apple itself.

Read our roundup of the best keyboards for iPad.

It’s currently only available with U.S. or Korean keyboard layouts, and the models shown on Mokibo’s website are only in black, although the company tells us that there’s a white model coming soon as well.

The 12.9-inch model that we tested weighs 665g (or 495g for the 11-inch model) and measures just 9.4mm thick when the case is folded over the keyboard, although that will be thicker when your iPad is inside the case. It’s sturdily built, despite the relatively low price, and the outer layers of the keyboard and case are made of a polyurethane-based artificial leather that feels soft and smooth, and is easy to wipe off if you spill your coffee.

Unlike some iPad keyboards that draw power from the iPad itself, the Fusion Keyboard has its own built-in battery that lasts for around 60 hours on a fuill charge (although there’s no charging cable included, so you’ll need to provide that yourself).

There’s no physical trackpad, but that leaves room for a spacious keyboard, with large keys that feel firm and responsive when typing. There’s a large space bar as well – although this is split into two parts, with a Smart button sitting in the middle, which can be used to perform a mouse-click. There’s also a row of Function keys running along the top of the keyboard, with controls such as a Home key, volume adjustment and F7 for taking screenshots.

It’s also possible to pair the Fusion Keyboard with up to three different devices, and there’s a Function key that can be used to switch between operating systems – including macOS, iPadOS, Windows and Android – so that the various controls work as you’d expect for each operating system.

However, the Fusion Keyboard’s most unusual feature isn’t immediately visible. As we’ve mentioned, the keyboard doesn’t include a trackpad – at least, not a conventional physical trackpad, as you’d find on some of Apple’s Magic Keyboards, or the Logitech Combo. It does, however, have a special sensor that sits beneath the keyboard and can detect the movement of your fingers. If you skim your fingers lightly over the surface of the keyboard – rather than actually pressing down on the keys – this sensor can follow the movement of your fingers and act like a kind of virtual trackpad.

This is a bit of a mixed blessing, though. The virtual trackpad works quite well for basic gestures, such as simply moving the cursor around on screen, or using two fingers to scroll up and down through documents and web pages (and one nice touch is that it’s even possible to change the position of the virtual trackpad for left-handed and right-handed users). However, more complex gestures can be quite fiddly, and it’s odd that the commonly-used pinch-to-zoom gesture doesn’t seem to be supported on either the iPad or Android devices (although the manual does state that pinch-to-zoom works on Macs and Windows).

Should you buy Mokibo Fusion Keyboard for iPad Pro?

It’s tempting to suggest that people who want a trackpad should just buy a keyboard that has a conventional trackpad already built into it. However, keyboards with trackpads do tend to be fairly expensive, so the Fusion Keyboard can still provide a well-built keyboard and case at a competitive price – even if you don’t use the virtual trackpad feature very often.