I'm one of those who still long for those mechanical keyboards of the legendary Blackberry. I find any task that involves typing more than two sentences on a mobile phone cumbersome and I end up exclaiming the familiar "I'll be damned if I can touch anything!
I decided to look for something small, foldable, QWERTY, in Spanish, with touchpad and Bluetooth connection with the intention of being able to use it anywhere and to be able to carry it with some comfort. Now that summer is approaching, it's nice to be able to get away from the heat of the machines.
There's not much cheap to choose from with these features. I found this 64-key one at a reasonable price, around 36 euros, although I got it with Bing Rewards points.
I bought it on Amazon, the seller ships from Almeria and does it fast.
It runs on Android, iOS, Mac and Windows. It is made in China and does not appear to have a brand name other than the B033 on the box. There is also no website associated with the product in its manual.
To give you an idea of its size, even inside the box it is not much taller than a conventional mouse. It comes with the traditional USB charging cable and an instruction manual in Chinese and English.
As you can see, the folded keyboard is slightly shorter than a 6.67" phone and only a couple of centimetres wide.
The grey colour chosen for the sticker of the letter Ñ, and other characters, is too light and in certain positions, depending on how it is illuminated, little or almost nothing can be seen due to the brightness. In sunlight it gets worse and you have to turn it around to be able to identify these grey characters.
Although it is a very small keyboard, almost all the keys are of a good size, even the cursor keys, which are usually tiny on this type of device. There are only a few keys (such as T, V and tab) that are somewhat narrower than the rest.
The size of the keys is well resolved and, unless you have the fingers of the Hulk, it is relatively comfortable to use. The keystroke feel is just right and quiet. Needless to say, don't expect a battle keyboard with which to write your next trilogy.
The touchpad, although it has a rather small touch area, is responsive. It has more functions for Windows, iOS and MAC than for Android, but enough for normal use.
Tested on Windows and Android, there were no problems when connected via BT (the only way it can connect) and during use it did not disconnect either. The keyboard goes to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity to save battery life and is restored by pressing any key.
Note that with different side illuminations of a certain intensity, the Ñ and other characters are not visible.
Made entirely of plastic, one of its most sensitive and at the same time weakest points are its hinges, which even squeak a little when folded and unfolded and even have some slack. When folded, this is not a problem because magnets keep it compact.
Because of its size when unfolded and the play of the hinges, forget about using it directly on your knees, the best thing to do is to find a flat surface to rest it on.
Be that as it may, the overall finish gives the impression that the thing could not withstand a fall from a low height.
It has a small 140mAh lithium-ion battery, although the manufacturer promises a battery life of 3 million keystrokes.
Above the touchpad there are three LED indicators, the first indicates the charge level and low voltage (below 3.3 V flashes red), the second if the BT is connected and the third the Caps Lock.
On the top, there are two buttons, one for power on/off and one for Bluetooth connection next to the charging connector.
Here you can see a comparison of the thickness of the folded keyboard next to a Redmi Note 10 Pro without a case. Its weight is slightly less than that of an average phone.
In short, a keyboard that is not badly finished, but far from "premium". A not too expensive option for a device with a fair finish, but very useful for travelling or for writing something longer than usual in those situations where you don't want to or can't do it on a desktop PC or laptop.
Pros
- Lightweight, foldable and small in size.
- Touchpad
- In Spanish with Ñ key.
- Bluetooth.
Cons
- Weak-appearing hinges.
- Uncomfortable for use on the knees.
- Fair battery.
- Connectivity limited to Bluetooth.
