The keyboard is available in both black and white colours. It is around the same width as a typical 10″ tablet and is very lightweight so should be easy to carry around during a day.
Connecting the keyboard to a device is a simple process. Compatible with iOS, Android and Windows devices, switches on the keyboard let you change settings based on the compatible device.
The Inateck BK1003E ultra-slim universal Bluetooth keyboard
Note that you cannot use the keyboard with Windows Phone unless you have a device running Update 2. Currently, only the Lumia 640 and 640 XL have this. The Windows 10 upgrade this summer will support Bluetooth keyboards on mobile.
You can pair with the keyboard by selecting its name in the list of available Bluetooth devices on your device. The keyboard uses Bluetooth 3.0 as opposed to the newer 4.0. This means that it does not support the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol so you may experience faster battery drain on devices that the keyboard is connected to if paired for a long time.
The Inateck BK1003E ultra-slim universal Bluetooth keyboard
The keyboard itself is powered by an internal lithium-ion battery. It charges quickly over micro USB and avoids the issues of some Bluetooth accessories which rely on AA batteries and require regular replacement. An energy saving mode saves power by putting the keyboard to sleep if no keys have been pressed for ten minutes.
The Inateck BK1003E ultra-slim universal Bluetooth keyboard
The BK1003E is designed to be slim and attractive. It uses thin chiclet keys with scissor switches and rises towards the top, creating a ridge it rests against so that it props itself up, making it easier to type on. The rear of the device is made of steel for a solid construction.
The Inateck BK1003E ultra-slim universal Bluetooth keyboard
A switch on the rear of the device turns the keyboard on and off. Bluetooth connections are established by pressing Fn+C which makes the keyboard available for pairing with. A small LED on the top-right of the keyboard displays the connection status and remains blue during use.
Typing on the keyboard is comfortable enough but a little cramped. It can be used for a long typing period though — indeed, I wrote much of this review with it.
The keys are full-size which makes typing easier. The thin design means they don’t have as much travel as larger keyboards though. This is particularly noticeable on keys like the spacebar as it was sometimes hard to tell whether the key had been pressed or not.
Everything comes at a cost and this time the slimness of the keyboard has meant that key travel has had to be sacrificed. Unfortunately, this is detrimental to typing accuracy and I think that the keyboard could have been a few millimetres thicker and yet still retained its stylish looks whilst also gaining “springier” keys. That isn’t to say that the current setup is unusable though.
To avoid any bias I may inadvertently have, I will inform you that my keyboard on my main computer is a membrane unit made by SteelSeries which has very large amounts of key travel, so the effect of the Inateck’s slimness may be enhanced somewhat to me.
The Inateck BK1003E ultra-slim universal Bluetooth keyboard
The function keys along the top of the keyboard also double up as shortcut keys to common controls. Although support will vary depending on what device the keyboard is connected to, there are labelled buttons for functions including home, search, copy and paste and traditional media and volume controls.
I like the Inateck BK1003E Bluetooth keyboard. It looks good, is thin and light, works well with a variety of devices and its full-size keys makes typing on the go much easier if you write long pieces regularly.
Although some of the larger keys could do with a little more travel and bounce, considering its slimness the keyboard’s performance is actually quite remarkable. It is cheap too at only £39.99 on Amazon in the UK, currently reduced to £23.99, or $39.99 in the US, currently reduced to $26.99.
A further $7 off can be obtained with the promotional code SXIRL3RG, bringing the price down to just $19.99. It is definitely worth this cost with its sleek design and useful functionality that make it a good option for typists on the go.
