Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Lightning) vs Logitech MX Keys
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMagic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Lightning) | LogitechMX Keys | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | June 2017 | September 2019 |
| Typing | ||
| Layout | Full size | Full size |
| Switches | Scissor | Scissor |
| Key travel | – | 1.8 mm |
| Backlight | None | White |
| Automatic backlight | – | Yes |
| Keys labelled for | Mac | Mac, Windows and more |
| Touch ID | No | No |
| Switches | Scissor mechanism beneath each key, with a low-profile design | Scissor switches with 60 g actuation force, rated for 10 million keystrokes (function keys 5 million) |
| Keycaps | – | Spherically dished keys with a matte coating; MX Keys for Mac has Mac-only laser-printed legends |
| Layouts | – | MX Keys for Mac in English UK, Danish/Norwegian/Swedish/Finnish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swiss (UK store) |
| Backlight | – | A hand proximity sensor turns it on and an ambient light sensor sets the level; eight levels; stays off in bright rooms (over 200 lux) and below 10% battery |
| Special keys | Numeric keypad, full-size arrow keys, document navigation controls and multimedia keys; F1–F19, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down and forward Delete are described in iMore's exact-model hands-on | Easy-Switch keys; Fn + Esc swaps media keys and F-keys; legends for both Windows and Mac (a Mac layout with an Eject key on MX Keys for Mac) |
| Connections and battery | ||
| Connects by | Bluetooth | Bluetooth and USB receiver |
| Devices it switches between | 1 | 3 (better) |
| Power | Rechargeable | Rechargeable |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | – | Up to 5 months |
| With the backlight on | – | Up to 10 days |
| Receiver | – | Logitech Unifying USB receiver included with both versions |
| Battery life detail | About a month or more between charges, according to Apple; tested in April 2017 with preproduction keyboards and shipping iMacs. Not an upper-bound battery-life claim. | Rechargeable 1500 mAh battery; Logitech quotes 10 days with backlighting or 5 months with it off |
| Charging | Built-in rechargeable battery; the included Lightning-to-USB cable charges from a Mac or USB power adapter and automatically pairs with a Mac | USB-C port at the top right; usable while charging; USB-A to USB-C cable (USB-C to USB-C with MX Keys for Mac) |
| Works with | Bluetooth-enabled Mac with macOS 10.12.4 or later; iOS devices with iOS 10.3 or later. Apple's guide requires removing the existing pairing before pairing with a different Mac. | At launch, Bluetooth with Windows 8 or 10, macOS 10.13 or later, iOS 9 or later, Android 6 or later and Linux, and Unifying with Windows 7, 8 or 10, macOS 10.13 or later, Android 6 or later and Linux; MX Keys for Mac lists macOS 10.15 or later, iOS 13.4 or later and iPadOS 14 or later |
| Software | Keyboard preferences configure modifier keys, shortcuts and input sources and show battery level | Logitech Options at launch, now Logi Options+ (Windows and macOS); Logitech Flow with a Flow-enabled Logitech mouse |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 390 g (better) | 810 g |
| Width × depth × height | 418.7 × 114.9 × 10.9 mm | 430.2 × 131.63 × 20.5 mm |
| Size | Height 0.41–1.09 cm, width 41.87 cm and depth 11.49 cm; Apple's 0.39 kg weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process | – |
| Colours | Silver with white keys in the retained UK store listing | MX Keys for Mac in Space Gray |
| In the box | Keyboard and Lightning-to-USB-A cable. TechCrunch's 5 June 2017 launch report records immediate shipping; the retained maker sheet does not give a release date. This entry covers the Lightning model without Touch ID. | Keyboard, Unifying USB receiver, USB-C charging cable, documentation |
| Warranty | – | 2-year limited hardware warranty (UK) |
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