Logitech To Launch Its Pint-Sized UltraThin iPad Mini Keyboard This Month

Logitech’s UltraThin iPad keyboard has been a favored traveling companion of mine since it came out on top of Matt’s keyboard case review battle, but the iPad mini has since supplanted my full-size iPad 3 whenever I hit the road. Fortunately, Logitech has just recently announced a pint-sized version of the UltraThin keyboard meant specifically for Apple’s tiny tab that will debut later this month.

The main conceit here is the same as it was before — when not in use, the keyboard attaches to the iPad mini’s flank thanks to a slew of magnets in its hinge. When the time comes to get some work done, the iPad slots into a channel about a third of the way down from the edge of the keyboard and wirelessly connects to it via Bluetooth. It was a smart design the first time around, and I’m more than a little glad to see Logitech finally size it all down now that Apple’s tinkering with a new form factor.

Of course, there are some trade-offs to be found here, with the battery bring prime among them. Logitech claims that the mini-friendly version of the keyboard can last three months on a single charge (assuming a fairly modest two hours of use per day) compared to the six months of charge that its bigger brother could hang on to. Fans of the iPad mini’s trim waistline may want to think twice about taking the plunge since the $79 accessory effectively doubles the tablet’s size. Sadly, since it hasn’t officially hit the market yet, it’s impossible to say definitively whether or not the shrunken keyboard fares as well as its bigger brother but we’ll give you the skinny once we get some hands-on time.