Unlike most Bluetooth models, this one pairs with three devices and includes a dial to jump between each.
Though fairly compact, this $50 gadget is closer in size to small desktop keyboards than the usual mobile fare–big enough to fit a phone and a tablet in a slot-stand at the back. It addresses a specific problem: what do you do when you’re working at your desktop, and something on your phone or iPad needs dealing with? Instead of having to muck around with the mobile, you can jump in using the keyboard you’re already at. Reviews, though, are mixed.
At Recode, Lauren Good says it’s better in theory than in practice, because it’s not as portable as competitors and you probably won’t use the dial much:
After using the $50 K480 for a week, two things became clear. The first is that the K480 works as promised, with a lot of thought put into the functionality of the keys for multiple operating systems. The second is that the K480 might be suitable for a very specific kind of tech user, like someone who has both an iPhone and an Android phone, or someone who is tied to a Windows PC at work but wants to occasionally switch to another device.
Otherwise, this is exactly the kind of keyboard you might buy because you think it’s going to help you switch between all of your devices more easily, and then rarely, if ever, use those functions of the keyboard
PCMag gave it 4/5, but found its large size to be a problem given that it lacks desktop keyboard features.
It doesn’t quite get our Editors’ Choice award, as it doesn’t have all the keys you’d find on a full-size keyboard, so it may not replace your desktop keyboard entirely.
iLounge’s Jeremy Horowitz gives it B+.
Great battery life, device-agnostic key versatility, and the $50 MSRP are all major assets. The only detractors are its highly plasticky feel, lack of device charging support, and its large footprint.
ZDNet’s Matthew Miller reported that it was very easy to set up: “All of them worked perfectly with each having some slightly different functionality with the keyboard. There are Windows, Mac OS, and Android apps for advanced keyboard functionality.”
Maybe this would be more useful for people with multiple desktop computers who want a less cluttered desk, rather than people trying to control a bunch of mobiles with it.
Logitech K480 [Amazon]