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I get really annoyed by on-screen keyboards, especially the one you have to peck at with the Apple TV remote. The Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 is meant to fix that. It is a compact Bluetooth keyboard you can use with your Apple TV, your iPad, a computer, a phone, or really any device. This is designed to be as small and portable as possible, and after living with it I have a clear read on who it is for and who should pass. If you mostly want a keyboard you can toss in a bag and pair with a phone, an iPad, or a smart TV, keep reading.
A genuinely slim, portable Bluetooth keyboard with solid multi-device pairing, held back by cramped keys, missing function buttons, and an $80 price that feels high.
- Very thin and lightweight at 7.8 ounces
- Magnetic folding cover protects the keys in a bag
- Pairs with up to three devices and switches fast
- Apple version adds Do Not Disturb and the Globe key
- Up to three years of battery life on coin cells
- Compact keys with little travel feel less accurate
- Device pairing buttons eat the F1, F2, and F3 keys
- No built-in stand or kickstand
- Smaller Command and Shift keys feel cramped on Mac
- At $80 it should really cost closer to $50
- Intro: Who This Is For
- Design and the Magnetic Folding Cover
- Pairing With Up to Three Devices
- The Apple Version Shortcuts
- Thin, Light, and Small by the Numbers
- The Compact Keys Are the Real Compromise
- Device Buttons That Cost You Function Keys
- A Great Match for the iPad Mini
- Keys-To-Go 2 vs. Satechi On-The-Go
- Battery Life and the Off Switch You Cannot Forget
- Colors, Versions, and Which to Buy
Intro: Who This Is For
This keyboard is for people who type on the wrong devices. If you send long text messages from your phone, if you run an iPad as a light laptop, or if you dread the Apple TV search screen, this is aimed at you. It is designed to give you great Bluetooth typing performance without taking up a ton of space. It is not trying to replace a full desktop keyboard, and you should not buy it expecting that. Think of it as a supplement to an iPad setup or a fix for the devices that make typing painful.
Design and the Magnetic Folding Cover
The Keys-To-Go 2 has a folding cover that is magnetic. Once you fold it on, you have a really slim keyboard that tucks away easily in a backpack or sits on a side table if you want to use it as a media keyboard. The cover keeps all the keys protected when you throw it in a bag, and that is a real benefit. My one wish is that Logitech had found a way to turn this cover into a kickstand. It protects the keys and that is it, so you still need your device to prop itself up some other way.
Pairing With Up to Three Devices
You can pair the Keys-To-Go 2 with up to three different devices. There are dedicated device pairing buttons across the top row, and they let you cycle between whatever you have connected. Putting it into pairing mode is easy. You press and hold one of those buttons, then go to the Bluetooth settings on your device and connect. In daily use the Bluetooth is reliable and it only takes a second to wake up, which matters on a keyboard you keep switching between a phone, a tablet, and a TV.
The Apple Version Shortcuts
This is the Apple version, which means it has a few Mac-specific shortcuts baked in. There is a Do Not Disturb button and a Globe key, and the Globe key works great for all the window tiling shortcuts on Mac. The rest of the top row gives you screen brightness, the app launcher, an emoji button, a screenshot button, a play button, volume control, and that Do Not Disturb key. I do wish there were skip keys for media, since that is an obvious miss on a keyboard people will use with an Apple TV.
Thin, Light, and Small by the Numbers
The first thing you notice pulling this out is how thin and light it is. It weighs about 7.8 ounces, or half a pound, and it measures 9.8 inches long by 4.3 inches tall. The thickness runs between 0.17 and 0.35 inches, with that thicker figure being the folded-up, thickest point. This is very easy to stow away in a backpack, and the size is really the whole pitch of the product.
The Compact Keys Are the Real Compromise
To get everything into this small package, Logitech shrank the keys quite a bit. Set it next to a standard Apple Magic Keyboard and you can tell the keys are noticeably smaller. There is also less key travel, which leads to less feedback while you type. Because of the thin body and the smaller keys, it does not feel as accurate as some larger keyboards. I also wish the keys stuck up a little more, since that would make them easier to find by feel. On my Mac, the smaller Command and Shift buttons made my hands feel a bit crammed. It still works fine with a computer, so do not write it off as only an iPad keyboard, but the typing feel is where you pay for the small size.
Device Buttons That Cost You Function Keys
One of the bigger drawbacks with Logitech keyboards is that the device pairing buttons take over F1, F2, and F3. I think a better approach would be to hold down Function and press 1, 2, or 3, or Q, W, or E, to switch devices. That would free up the top row for more shortcuts instead of spending three keys on pairing. It is a small thing, but on a keyboard this compact every key counts.
A Great Match for the iPad Mini
I have been using this with my iPad Mini and it works really well. The iPad Mini does not have a good keyboard case, and if it did, the keys would be tiny. The Keys-To-Go 2 gives you slightly larger keys while staying lightweight and compact, and the whole thing is very easy to drop in a bag. For a small, portable, on-the-go setup, this is a really nice size pairing for the Mini. You can also pair it to your phone for long messages or to an Apple TV to skip the on-screen keyboard entirely.
Keys-To-Go 2 vs. Satechi On-The-Go
Satechi recently launched a keyboard that immediately made me think of the Keys-To-Go 2. The Satechi On-The-Go is quite a bit bigger, but it has a stand built into it, so you can set your iPad or phone on top of the stand either vertical or horizontal. It also has larger, full-size keys that are more comfortable to type on, and you can fold the stand underneath if you want a flatter, more compact setup. Satechi sent it to me a couple of weeks after I bought the Keys-To-Go 2, and my first thought was that it looked like a better version of the same idea.
There is still one real reason to pick the Logitech. If you want the absolute smallest, slimmest profile, the Keys-To-Go 2 folds up smaller and weighs less than the Satechi. If your iPad case already has a built-in stand, you do not need the Satechi stand at all, since that stand is really just something to prop your device on. The Logitech also makes more sense for an Apple TV or a gaming console, because the smaller size is easier to stow away.
| Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 | Satechi On-The-Go | |
|---|---|---|
| Size when folded | Smallest, slimmest | Larger |
| Built-in stand | No | Yes, folds away |
| Key size | Compact | Full size |
| Weight | 7.8 ounces | Heavier |
| Best for | Apple TV, gaming, max portability | iPad and phone typing |
Battery Life and the Off Switch You Cannot Forget
The Keys-To-Go 2 uses two coin cell batteries and gets up to three years of battery life. That long runtime comes from the small size and the fact that there is no backlighting. There is one catch. There is an off and on switch on the back, and you need to manually turn it off to save power. The cover has no sensor, so if you close it and drop the keyboard in a bag, the keys can still be pressed and drain the batteries. Get in the habit of flipping it off before you put it away.
Colors, Versions, and Which to Buy
The Keys-To-Go 2 comes in Graphite, Pale Gray, and Lilac, and you can get it in either the Apple version or the Universal version. The Apple version will still work on Windows and Android, but some of the buttons are just mislabeled for what they actually do. My recommendation is to get the Apple one if you are mostly going to use it with Apple products, because the labels match better and you get that Do Not Disturb button.
Buy or Pass?
The Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 comes in at $80, and in my opinion this should be a $50 product. You are really paying for the Logitech name, the coin batteries, and how thin and portable it is. I do like the multi-device pairing and how well it works with Apple products, but you are missing a few function keys to those pairing buttons, and there is no built-in stand. Overall this is a great option if you just need something to type with your phone, your iPad, an Apple TV, or another smart device. It gives you reliable Bluetooth, wakes up in a second, and lives in a small lightweight package. It is not the most accurate keyboard in the world because of the smaller keycaps, but the typing performance is good and the convenience is real. If you want the smallest possible keyboard for your Apple devices, buy it. If you want comfortable typing and a stand, look at the Satechi instead.
