Design and Features
Save for keys that are almost circular, and the large section above the keys where you place your mobile devices into the rubberized groove stand, the K480 looks like any regular keyboard. Just above the Esc key is a dial that lets you select the devices you've connected to the K480 via Bluetooth. They're labeled as 1, 2, or 3, which may take some getting used to until you learn by heart which number is associated to which device. But that took all of two minutes for me.
Save for keys that are almost circular, and the large section above the keys where you place your mobile devices into the rubberized groove stand, the K480 looks like any regular keyboard. Just above the Esc key is a dial that lets you select the devices you've connected to the K480 via Bluetooth. They're labeled as 1, 2, or 3, which may take some getting used to until you learn by heart which number is associated to which device. But that took all of two minutes for me.
At 0.79 by 11.77 by 7.68 inches (HWD), the K480 the keyboard is fairly compact width-wise and rather long in depth. But that's OK, because you can place your Apple or Android tablet and phone in the groove stand, which saves you the desk space they normally occupy. If you're thinking of using it as a portable tablet keyboard, you may want to think again, as it's not quite compact enough. And weighing in at 1.81 pounds, it's not the most lightweight solution, either; it's really designed to be used on a desk at home.
The K480 uses two AAA batteries, which are included with the keyboard, and Logitech claims they'll last up to two years.
It's compatible with almost every OS and platform, including Windows 7/8 or later, Mac OS X or later, Chrome OS, Apple devices running iOS 5 or later, and Android devices running Android 3.2 or later. Unfortunately, Windows Phone doesn't get compatibility here, which is somewhat surprising, considering it's compatible with Windows PCs.
Keyboard and Performance
With well-spaced keys, deep travel, and decent—but slightly mushy—feedback, the K480 is comfortable to type on. The keys are a little small for my taste, and the keyboard itself doesn't feel particularly premium. But that's barely an issue when the price tag is so low.
With well-spaced keys, deep travel, and decent—but slightly mushy—feedback, the K480 is comfortable to type on. The keys are a little small for my taste, and the keyboard itself doesn't feel particularly premium. But that's barely an issue when the price tag is so low.
The keyboard contains shortcut keys that you'd mostly find on a tablet's keyboard cover, which are mainly designed for mobile devices. Shortcuts include a Home button that works for all mobile OSes and a multitasking button that surprisingly doesn't bring up the multitasking menu on our iPad, but double-tapping the keyboard's home button will do that for you. It will bring up a multi-tasking menu that lets you cycle through your open apps to bring them to the front. There's also a Back and Search button, as well as multimedia controls, including Previous, Pause/Play, Forward, Mute/Unmute, and Volume controls.
However, the K480's keyboard appears more similar to a tablet's keyboard cover, as it doesn't have many of the keys you'd find on a regular, full-size computer keyboard, such as Page Up/Down, End, Print Screen, and Scroll Lock. But you do get a Windows Start button, and a Mac OS Command button, too.
In an attempt to be as diverse as possible with the devices the keyboard can work with, I connected the K480 to an Asus C200 Chromebook$299.90 at Amazon running Chrome OS, an iPad Air$274.99 at Amazon running iOS 8, and my Nexus 5$180.79 at Amazonrunning KitKat 4.4 as part of my tests. The K480 worked flawlessly; it reconnected to each device almost instantaneously, without any fuss whatsoever. And I only experienced a minute amount of Bluetooth lag when switching between devices using the dial very quickly. And unlike most tablet keyboard covers, there's no lag while typing.
I also connected the K480 to a MacBook Air, an Acer Aspire E11 (E3-111-C1BW) Windows laptop, and a Nexus 7$164.65 at Amazon tablet, all of which had no issues pairing and working with the K480, either.
Conclusion
The K480 works extremely well, and it's useful and fun to switch between devices so quickly and easily. I thoroughly enjoyed typing this review using the K480 with an iPad Air and effortlessly switching to my Nexus 5 to reply to texts and Hangouts. It's not an essential piece of hardware, but for $49.99, it adds convenience to your digital life.
The K480 works extremely well, and it's useful and fun to switch between devices so quickly and easily. I thoroughly enjoyed typing this review using the K480 with an iPad Air and effortlessly switching to my Nexus 5 to reply to texts and Hangouts. It's not an essential piece of hardware, but for $49.99, it adds convenience to your digital life.
That said, it isn't compact or light enough to be used as a portable tablet keyboard. For that, you'd need a keyboard cover, like Belkin's Qode Thin Type Keyboard Cover for iPad Air$49.99 at Amazon. Unfortunately, the K480's key selection isn't as comprehensive as a full-size keyboard, which means it may not replace the desktop or laptop keyboard you've been using so far. So for that, it doesn't quite clinch our Editors' Choice award.
Ideally, you could use the K480 to type on your computer and effortlessly switch keyboard functionality to your phone without picking it up to reply to a text. It may be tough to find a reason for the third connection, but it's there if you need it.