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Apple’s laptop keyboards have a feel and a layout that is hard to walk away from. If you want that same experience on your desktop with a number pad added, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and USB-C gives it to you. It puts the laptop typing experience on your desk, and honestly the Touch ID button alone is reason enough to buy it. In this review I go through everything that matters about the full-size Magic Keyboard, and why you would pick it over something like the Logitech MX Keys S.
The most familiar Mac desktop keyboard you can buy, and Touch ID makes it hard to go back to anything else.
- Same shallow, accurate laptop typing feel with real feedback
- Touch ID for unlocking, passwords, and Apple Pay
- Full-size arrow keys, number pad, and the full function row
- Globe key unlocks a deep set of Mac shortcuts
- USB-C for instant pairing and fast recharging
- Sturdy aluminum body with a fingerprint-resistant black finish
- No backlighting
- No multi-device pairing like Logitech offers
- Pricey at $200 for the black Touch ID version
- USB-C cannot pair it to an iPhone or iPad
- Touch ID only works on Apple Silicon Macs
- Intro: Who This Is For
- Full-Size vs. Compact: What Actually Changes
- Typing Experience and Build Quality
- The Globe Key Is a Secret Weapon
- New USB-C Charging and Easy Pairing
- Connecting to an iPad and Troubleshooting
- Touch ID Is the Reason to Buy
- Compatibility and the Rest of the Setup
- Is It Worth the Premium Price?
Intro: Who This Is For
This keyboard is for the person who lives in the Apple ecosystem and wants their desk to feel exactly like their MacBook, but with a number pad bolted on. If you are a programmer, a CPA, an accountant, or you do data entry all day, that number pad plus the familiar Mac layout is the whole point. If you do not touch the number pad much, there is a smaller version I will cover too. Either way, the goal here is the same laptop feel on a desktop, and Apple gets you there better than anyone.
Full-Size vs. Compact: What Actually Changes
There are a couple of things about the full-size version that are really nice and that you do not get with the smaller Magic Keyboard. You get full-size arrow keys, the number pad, and you keep every shortcut on the top function row that your laptop keyboards have. The compact Magic Keyboard shrinks the arrow keys to half size, the Command and Option keys on the right side get smaller, and there is no Control key at all on the standard model.
The version with the number pad comes with or without Touch ID. But if you want the sleek black key version, you have to get the Touch ID model. That is also where the price climbs, all the way up to $200, so it is definitely a pricey keyboard.
| Full-Size (Numpad) | Compact | |
|---|---|---|
| Number pad | Yes | No |
| Arrow keys | Full size | Half size |
| Control key | Yes | No |
| Right Command/Option | Full size | Smaller |
| Black colorway | Yes (Touch ID only) | Not available |
Typing Experience and Build Quality
Depending on which laptop you have, the key travel may feel a little different, but the overall feel of the keys is still very similar. The keys have a nice shallow feel with just a little bit of feedback, so you can type quickly and accurately. All the function buttons and all the letters are full size. The black version has a matte finish that does a great job at keeping fingerprints away, and you can always get it in the white colorway instead.
The build matches the Apple aesthetic. The body is aluminum. It has a little bit of flex when you pick it up because it is so long, but it feels very sturdy on a desk. You do not notice the keyboard moving underneath your fingers as you type, and you get just the right amount of feedback on every key. The one thing missing is backlighting. There is none here, and that is the single feature that would really elevate this keyboard.
The Globe Key Is a Secret Weapon
One reason you buy the Apple Magic Keyboard is that all the function buttons perfectly match any Apple laptop. You also get the globe modifier key, which no other Bluetooth keyboard has, and it unlocks a lot of great Mac shortcuts. A few of my favorites: globe plus Q opens an instant quick note, globe plus C opens Control Center, globe plus N opens Notification Center, and globe plus F toggles full screen. You can also set the keyboard so that double tapping the globe key turns on dictation, so you can type with your voice.
My favorite globe shortcuts are the tiling shortcuts. Press and hold Function and Control and then an arrow key to push a window to the left, the right, the top, or the bottom of the screen. It is the fastest way I have found to set up a dual window workflow on macOS.
New USB-C Charging and Easy Pairing
Apple has made versions of this keyboard for years, but they finally added a USB-C port. That port matters for two things: recharging the keyboard, and pairing it to the computer. Plug the USB-C port into your Mac with a USB-C to USB-C cable and it pairs instantly. As soon as you unplug it, the keyboard is wirelessly paired. If it will not pair, flip the off and on switch a couple of times and it should drop into Bluetooth pairing mode.
Charging is just as convenient. You are supposed to get about one month of battery life, but I often get much longer than that, and topping it up is as easy as plugging in the USB-C cable. Charge it for just two minutes and you get a full workday of power. You can also leave it plugged in with USB-C full time if you do not want to think about the battery at all.
Connecting to an iPad and Troubleshooting
You can use this keyboard with an iPad if you want to. To pair it, you have to use that same trick of flipping the off and on switch a couple of times before it starts to connect, and you should also forget the keyboard on your computer so it does not keep trying to connect there.
A couple of limits to know. The USB-C port is handy for pairing to a Mac, but you cannot use USB-C to pair the keyboard to an iPhone or an iPad. And if you want to move back and forth between a Mac Mini and a laptop, you will have to pull that cable out every time, because there is no multi-device switching here.
Touch ID Is the Reason to Buy
The Touch ID button is the standout feature. You can use it to unlock your computer, to access passwords, and to pay with Apple Pay. It is just really handy to have that instead of typing a password every time or pulling out your phone for Apple Pay. One caveat: Touch ID only works with Macs that have Apple Silicon, meaning an M1 chip or better. Once you use a keyboard with Touch ID and then switch to one without it, you notice every single moment you would have used it.
Compatibility and the Rest of the Setup
If you want the full Apple look, you can add the matching Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse. My favorite mouse to pair with this keyboard is not from Apple though, it is the Logitech MX Master 4. Bluetooth performance on the Magic Keyboard is great. It wakes from sleep almost instantly and stays reliable. You just do not get the multi-device pairing that some Logitech keyboards offer, and you do not get a backlight.
Is It Worth the Premium Price?
At $200 for the black Touch ID version, this is not a cheap keyboard, and there are real trade-offs. No backlight. No multi-device pairing. No USB-C pairing to an iPhone or iPad. If those things are dealbreakers, the Logitech MX Keys S or the smaller MX Keys Mini are worth a look. But for a Mac desktop, the familiar feel, the full function row, and Touch ID add up to something the Logitech options cannot match. I have tested tons of Bluetooth keyboards, many of them with number pads, and I still keep coming back to this one for most of my Mac use.
Final Verdict: The Best Mac Keyboard?
I have tested a lot of Bluetooth keyboards, and I still find myself going back to the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, mostly because that Touch ID button really is that convenient. You do not get multi-device pairing, and you do not get a backlight. But it delivers everywhere else: the familiar Mac feel, the full layout, and Touch ID for unlocking, passwords, and Apple Pay.
If you want a more compact setup, or you go back and forth from the keyboard to a mouse a lot, the smaller Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is a great pick too, and it is the better option for people like video editors who do not really use the number pad. But if you are a programmer, a CPA, an accountant, or you do data entry, and you want your desk to feel exactly like your MacBook with a number pad added, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, USB-C, and the number pad is still the best choice on the market for a Mac.
