Apple Launches (Slightly) More Affordable Magic Keyboard for iPad Air
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When Apple unveiled a new Magic Keyboard for iPad alongside its early 2020 iPad Pro models, it was heralded as a cool and helpful way to turn your iPad into a laptop replacement. The iPad Pro floated above the keyboard, which also included a trackpad for mouse control and attached magnetically and communicated via the Smart Connector so it could draw power from the iPad for backlighting and avoid the extra hassle of Bluetooth pairing.
Later that same year, Apple released a redesigned iPad Air that followed in the footsteps of the iPad Pro, adopting an edge-to-edge screen and the same rear-facing Smart Connector. It also had virtually the same dimensions and internal magnets, which meant support for the Magic Keyboard (the iPad Air was 0.2 mm thicker, so the fit wasn’t perfect, but it got the job done).
While an updated version was released in 2021 to accommodate the thicker fifth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the original smaller Magic Keyboard continued to work with every 11-inch iPad released until early last year, when the new “impossibly thin” M4 iPad Pro required an updated.
At that point, Apple split the Magic Keyboard into two distinct products. A new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro not only supported the newer and thinner M4 models, but also added a 14-key function row and a larger track with haptic feedback.
For the first time, iPad Pro users were able to benefit from a more powerful Magic Keyboard, while iPad Air users were left with the original 2020 versions. Apple released a “new” version for the 13-inch M2 iPad Air, but it was essentially just a repackaging and relabelling of the 12.9-inch version, with the same part number.
However, there’s some good news for iPad Air users this time around, as Apple has released a refreshed version of the Magic Keyboard alongside the latest M3 iPad Air.
The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (M3) sells for $30 less than the previous one, and features a more appropriate camera cutout (the original Magic Keyboard always looked a bit awkward on the iPad Air as it was designed to accommodate the larger iPad Pro camera array). The new version is also compatible with the M2 iPad Air and older models with the modern design, but it’s also not without a couple of tradeoffs.
On the plus side, you get the 14-key function row for quick access to screen brightness and volume controls, plus the improved machined aluminum hinge that came to last year’s Pro model. The downside? The trackpad remains mostly the same with no haptic feedback, Apple has removed the backlighting, and it’s only available in white. It also lacks the aluminum palm rest of the more expensive iPad Pro version.
There’s no official word on whether the older Magic Keyboard for iPad will work with the new M3 iPad Air. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why it shouldn’t, as the only apparent change from the 2024 model is the M3 chip inside. However, Apple has yet to update the compatibility section on its store page.
Folks upgrading to the new iPad Air who already own an original Magic Keyboard would be best to wait and try it out before rushing out and buying the new version, but there are good reasons to consider purchasing the older one even at the higher price, since it still includes backlighting and it’s available in black. We’ve reached out to Apple for confirmation and will update this article if we hear back.
