May 28, 2020 8:00 AM

These Tiny Keyboards Make Typing on Your Phone a Cinch

We review five foldable, mobile-friendly keyboards you can toss in your pocket.

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4 / 5

Your phone is a computing marvel—until you need to type anything longer than a sentence on it. Typing with your thumbs (or even swipe typing) for long stretches becomes a screen-slipping nightmare, because tryping on a scrn is not a gr8 exprnce.

This pain can be lessened by adding a small keyboard to your mobile kit. These devices are cheap, portable, and make typing on the hoof a far more pleasant experience. Pair one of these tiny keyboards with Google Docs or the mobile version of Microsoft Word, and you’ve got a desktop word-processing experience in your pocket.

I looked at five keyboards, and I stuck with foldable models that collapse down to about the same size as a smartphone. I also only tested models that work with both Android and iOS devices. My top pick was the Arteck HB066 Bluetooth Keyboard ($27 at Amazon), a small keyboard that combines a nice foldable design with a consistent key size and a layout that will immediately feel comfortable. None of these choices are as comfortable to use as a full-size keyboard, though, so be prepared to compromise some luxury in the name of portability.

Photograph: Amazon
For Touchpad Fans
Jelly Comb Foldable Keyboard with Touchpad
This keyboard from Jelly Comb (Rating: 6/10) is the only keyboard I looked at that includes a touchpad. It’s a neat little folding keyboard that folds down to about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ I used in my tests. It supports Bluetooth 3 and is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac devices.
While the design is neat, it has some serious downsides. The wide hinges mean that some of the keys are much smaller than others: The t and v, for instance, are half the size of other keys; and it is easy to hit the bulge of the hinge rather than the keys next to it. The other keys are decently sized and have a pleasant feel with a good amount of vertical travel. The touchpad is also smaller than most laptop touchpads, which makes precise maneuvering more difficult. Plus, while the presence of the touchpad is a plus for Windows devices, it's superfluous for Android users. For Apple users, the appalling mouse support in iOS 13 means the touchpad doesn’t really add much to the iPhone or iPad.
So, the Jelly Comb keyboard might appeal to those using Windows devices, or those spending a lot of time remotely controlling a desktop computer from a phone. But if you're looking to type comfortably, this one serves up too much wasted space.
$30 at Amazon
Photograph: Amazon
For Multi-Device Jockeys
Sounwill Foldable Keyboard
This simple fold-out keyboard (Rating: 5/10) works well, but it has a few annoying quirks. While the keys are a good size and are well separated, the hinge down the middle of the keyboard causes problems, much like on the Jelly Comb. Again, some of the keys here are oddly shaped—the t key is three times the size of the y key, for instance. That made for an odd typing experience where I kept hitting the hinge rather than the y key. The Sounwill works with iOs, Android, and Windows devices, and you can switch between those device modes using a hot key combination.
The keyboard automatically turns itself off when you close it, and it wakes up when you unfold it. However, it's on the large size, even when it's folded up. At 5.75 by 4 inches and just over half an inch thick, it's bigger than most phones. A small phone stand for the phone is also included, but it feels fragile and doesn’t attach to the keyboard, so it could quickly break or go missing.
$28 at Amazon

Photograph: Amazon
For Comfort Seekers
Arteck HB066 Bluetooth Keyboard
The HB066 (Rating: 8/10, WIRED Recommends) is another three-panel design, where two side panels fold out from the center to form the keyboard surface. It’s on the smaller side; about the size of a typical smartphone when folded up. The letter keys are the same size as the Plugable's keys, but here on the Arteck, the cursor keys are smaller and you don’t get a dedicated row of function keys along the top. That’s an acceptable compromise to make the keyboard more portable, and the rest of it is pretty comfortable to type on.
Unlike some other folding keyboards, the zig-zagging design of the hinge fits around the keys, so all of the letter keys are the same size. That’s a big plus, as you don’t have to retrain your fingers to find and press the different-sized keys found on keyboards with straight hinges. You may remember the unique four-way folding mechanism in the Think Outside Stowaway, a keyboard that enjoyed a cult following back in the Palm Pilot era. The Arteck HB066 isn't quite as elegant as that long-dead device, but it comes awfully close.
$27 at Amazon
Photograph: Amazon
For Mobile Novelists
Plugable Bluetooth Keyboard
The foldable keyboard from Plugable (Rating: 7/10) is the largest mode I tested, measuring about 6.75 by 5 inches inside its fold-out case, and 11.5 by 4.75 inches fully expanded. That makes it somewhat larger than most phones—even a chonker like the Galaxy Note 10+. But on the upside, the case doubles as a nice stand for your phone or iPad, and the keyboard is comfortable to type on. The keys are well separated, although they don’t have much vertical travel: Think of a cheap laptop keyboard and not a fancy mechanical one. There is also a set of cursor keys that are larger than most, plus a row of dedicated function keys, which is a big plus for programmers or fans of keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard turns itself on when you fold out the two side panels, with three LEDs to indicate the battery level, the Bluetooth status, and if Caps Lock is on. It’s a good pick if you are planning on typing a lot or are looking to do some programming on the road, as the larger cursor keys and function keys will make scrolling through longer documents easier.
$58 at Amazon

Photograph: Amazon
For Minimalist Ergo-nauts
Moko Universal Keyboard
Imagine if a Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard went on a crash diet and forgot to stop, and you’d get something like the Moko Universal (Rating: 4/10). It's the smallest of the keyboards I tested, with an unusual angled folding design that results in it being only about 6.4 inches wide and half an inch thick when folded.
In use, this puts your hands at the same comfortable angle as an ergonomic keyboard, just without the palm support. You also forego the comfortable key travel—the keyboard is so thin that there's barely any room for the keys to move up and down, and this makes typing feel like pressing on wet cardboard. Plus, the lightweight construction of the keyboard means that if you're a vigorous typist like me, the whole thing will bounce up and down with each keystroke. So while the ergonomic design is friendlier on the wrists, the thin and flimsy construction make it a poor pick for pounding out pages of prose in a Paris patisserie—post-pandemic, of course.
$27 at Amazon