I purchased a Logitech Slim Portfolio Pro keyboard cover shortly after purchasing my 3rd generation iPad Pro. It served me well over the years, but the covering started cracking and peeling. While there was nothing functionally wrong with it, I finally decided to shop for a replacement. There are literally dozens of choices on Amazon, including many that appear similar to this one in design, which is apparently a knock-off of the much more expensive official Apple offering. With 4 and a half stars, lots of positive reviews, and one of the lowest prices for this style, I figured this was a safe bet. I must admit that Iโm not very happy with my choice. My review however is colored by comparison to the cover I replaced. My Logitech is of the A-frame design rather than the floating screen variety like this one and lacked a trackpad. Truth be told, Iโm not a big fan of track pads on Windows PCs and usually use a mouse, so the addition of one for this case wasnโt a selling feature. However, the trackpad can be turned off, so I figured it would be no different than what I was used to where navigation is done by touching the screen. The problem is that the hinge between the keyboard half and the screen half has a LOT of play in it (see video). This is certainly not an issue if you always use the trackpad, but for me it is very annoying. I will have to either force myself to learn the trackpad commands and use them or deal with the screen literally bouncing under my finger when I touch it. The Logitech design is rock solid in the โlaptopโ configuration. With the Logitech, I quickly got spoiled by the keyboard and tended to leave it in that configuration most of the time. The iPad magnetically locked in place to the keyboard along the bottom edge, so I could pick it up and carry it by the screen without having to close the cover if I was just moving the short distance between one location in the house and another. Due to the play in the hinge however, I find myself wondering if I probably should be closing this one when carrying it. Opening the case from the closed position is a two-handed operation rather than being able to simply tap the screen to awaken the iPad. On the rare occasions I wanted to use the iPad in vertical orientation, the Logitech keyboard could be folded behind the screen. That is not an option here and you have to physically remove the iPad from the case if you want to hold it vertically. The plus is that you donโt have the weight of the unused keyboard to hold in addition to the iPad (which is one of the reasons I rarely did so with the Logitech), but at the expense of there being no protection being provided by the case. The magnetic attachment of the cover is strong enough that I have no concerns about it accidentally coming off during normal use. However, intentionally removing it and putting it back on is also a two-handed operation, more so for reattaching it. As a result, I am just as disinclined to use the iPad vertically, as I was previously. As for battery life, while my Logitech could easily go months between charges, this new case doesnโt seem to last but a few weeks. The Logitech keyboard would go to sleep after a short period of non-use and wake when touched, so there was no need to close the cover to turn it off. This one seems to operate similarly; however, I have had more than one occasion where after a period of unuse, the keyboard didnโt respond until the case was closed and reopened. Perhaps the design is such that the keyboard only goes to sleep for brief periods but shuts off after a longer span and closing the case shuts it off as well? If that were true, closing the case between use sessions may well extend the battery life as just waiting for it to turn itself off is causing avoidable drain; however, I have not been able to confirm this hypothesis based on available documentation. The keyboard itself is actually pretty nice. The keys have a decent amount of travel and are more clicky than the soft press feel the Logitech has. This is one feature I actually consider to be an upgrade. The backlight being adjustable is also a plus, but even though the Logitechโs backlight isnโt adjustable, Iโll take its longer battery life over this. At the end of the day, it may just be that this style is not a good fit for me and in hindsight I wish I would have gotten something more like what I have been used to. UPDATE Apr 2024: After my initial review, the manufacturer contacted me and offered to replace the defective product. I'd give the product another 1/2 star if that was an option for the customer support as they at least made an effort to address the hinge problem. While the new hinge is certainly stiffer than the one in the previous cover, it still has a bit of bounce when the screen is touched. Again, if you use like to use the trackpad and are not trying to navigate by touching the screen, this may be a perfectly acceptable cover for you. I've tried to get in the habit of using the trackpad, but I tend to instinctively reach for the screen out of habit. It's therefore just not as practical for me as other designs and I'm ultimately going to have to shop for an alternative.
