Generic Foldable Split Ergonomic Keyboard Review: only for the desperate

Available under a range of different brands, this keyboard does not deliver on design, usability, and unfortunately fails as a keyboard.

This keyboard is found under a whole range of names, with OEMs customising it for resellers. As a result, prices range widely. On AliExpress, these sell for USD 25, while the ergonomic specialist reseller I purchased this review model charged USD 80. While the light weight and small size may make this seem like a contender for best portable split ergonomic keyboard, this is the worst keyboard I have ever used.

After testing it for 2 months to type long reports, emails, and other documents, this keyboard has proven to be too small, impractical, and frustrating to type on. In addition to having tiny keys, the key design means that your fingers will easily slip off. Worse yet, the Bluetooth connection is flaky, and it will often fail to register key strokes, forcing you to go back and regularly correct missing letters.

Overall, it is not fit-for-purpose, and makes typing a much more difficult, and painful experience then it should be. In our search for a portable ergonomic split keyboard, it does nothing right. If you want something in this form factor, buy the Proto Arc XK03 instead, which is a far superior product.

Price: USD 25-80

Rating: 〇〇〇〇〇 0.0/5.0 Dismal

Pros: Very small, light and portable Can fold in half

Cons: Bluetooth connection is poor and keystrokes are often dropped Fingers often slip off keys making accurate typing difficult Minimal key travel Physically tiring to type on Very small key size

Typing experience

Given the size of the device, each individual key is much smaller than a typical keyboard. While one can adapt to this, the issue is of the key design. They are flat, and your fingers often will slip off the keys as there is insufficient tactile feel. A good keyboard should cradle your fingers and have sufficient feel so you can easily touch type, which even the much maligned Apple butterfly keyboards manage to do. The travel distance is also very low, coupled with the slim form factor, makes it feel like you’re hitting the table with each keystroke. Typing can become painful as the keyboard has little cushioning.

Having written several hundred pages using this keyboard, I struggled to type quickly and accurately. On average, I was averaging 45-50 WPM with constant errors, compared to my usual 83 WPM when using the Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard.

Design and Ergonomics

The keyboard is small, and when folded can easily fit into a backpack or even a laptop sleeve. The two halves are kept closed by magnets. When opens, it lays flat on the desk with no positive or negative tenting. While it is a split keyboard, its ergonomics are compromised by the lack of cushioning and key travel mentioned previously.

It is roughly a 65% keyboard, which means keys are omitted to keep the package small. Certain keys are accessed through the pressing of the Fn key. The lack of a dedicated Esc key is particularly frustrating, requiring  the user to press three keys to access, which is a no-go when performing miracles on spreadsheets.

Although it has a standard keyboard layout, it is easy to press the wrong keys, or worse, hit the empty space around the keyboard by accident. The T and N keys do not extend to the edges of the keyboard, and it is easy to hit the plastic instead, for example.

Portability

This keyboard is small, just a little bit larger than an iPhone. Coming in at 33.8 x 10.2 x 0.58 cm when unfolded, it is supremely portable. However, this is its only redeeming quality.

Customisation

You can’t customise any of the keys or layers on this keyboard.

Connectivity

The keyboard connects via Bluetooth only. Unfortunately, this keyboard will drop key stokes during a typical typing session, meaning sentences end up looking like this: “Hell,I wantd to check whether you were abe to attend the sesion later this afternoon?”

Battery life

The marketing claims 61 hours of battery life, and in typical office use, I can get around 2 weeks of typing before needing to charge this. It charges using the supplied micro USB cable, and takes around 2 hours to fully charge from 0%.

Conclusion

Although it is the smallest keyboard reviewed on this site, it is difficult to recommend. The keys are much too small, shaped poorly, it drops keystrokes, and overall slows your typing down. In essence, it fails to function as a keyboard.

Luckily, there are other options, and if you want something with this form factor, go for the Proto Arc XK03, which has none of the problems noted, and is superior in every way. Most importantly, you’ll actually be able to get work done.

Compared to the ProtoArc XK03, which has the same form factor

Compared to the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard