Satechi Slim X3 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard for Mac, Illuminated Keys & Multi-Device Sync, for MacBook Air/Pro M4, iPad Air/Pro M4, iPad/iPad mini, Mac mini, iMac - Silver

This product embodies just about everything I'm looking for in a keyboard.Switching from Mac to PC, I'm coming off of 10 years with Apple's magic keyboard, the one that connects exclusively through Bluetooth and lacks a number pad. In the end, I missed the number pad, and having to change batteries was boring to me. Otherwise, I enjoyed the design of it.This keyboard is a natural upgrade. I'm thankful that it has the wired option, so I no longer have to deal with batteries. And the number pad checks the number pad box. This is essentially the only magic keyboard variant I could find with these features while retaining the more compact layout. So thanks to Satechi for this design. Just because I'm on a PC doesn't mean I want a loud, clunky keyboard and carpel tunnel syndrome from working the thing. So if you like the feel and style of the apple keyboards, this is just the thing.You'll know from the imagery if the layout is for you. Do I miss the "page up," "page down," "insert," etc. buttons? No, not enough to give up the smaller form factor. Am I bothered by the compact design of the arrow buttons? Not in the slightest; use that space up. If these things bother you, look elsewhere. Do I have a hard time finding the buttons? No. Would I use it for gaming? I'm not much of a PC gamer, but, yes, I would. I like the keyboard; I'll use it for everything that requires a keyboard.Contrary to its intended design, I bought it to use with Windows 10, so I'll shed some light on how it performs there. There are a few idiosyncrasies, but overall, it suits my needs, so I'm happy with it.Right out of the box, I plugged it into my PC and, to my surprise, it worked instantaneously. I guess I thought I might have to pair it over Bluetooth or download drivers. Nope. It just works. Of course, it does pair over Bluetooth without issue. (UPDATE: As per Satechi, connect through control panel if you have trouble with the standard Bluetooth menu.) Also to my surprise, the function keys seemed to carry some of their functionality over to Windows without any extra effort. For instance, the brightness and volume keys function smoothly. The buttons for the backlights work as well.The search key on F3 does not work, presumably because Windows doesn't have Mac's "Spotlight" search feature.I haven't tested the "previous" and "next" buttons on F7 and F9 respectively, but I can confirm that "play" on F8 does its job.You can lock the function keys to just plain old F1-F12, which is actually fantastic because then there isn't any overlap in functionality when using an application that utilizes those buttons. It's a welcome feature that I hadn't realized I needed. And it works exactly as intended on Windows.Apple keyboards like this one don't have the "Windows" button, which is, of course, a centerpiece of all PC keyboards. Here, the "command" key functions as the Windows button. And, if you're coming from Apple like me, the "Control" button essentially takes the place of "command" in all the usual apple shortcuts. Not a problem, really, and I'm rapidly getting used to it despite my initial resistance. The rest of the modifier keys function as normal.The "clear" key, located on the number pad, is of great importance here. "Clear" actually functions as "num lock," and the num lock has to be engaged in order to type the numbers on the number pad. Otherwise, Windows interprets them as a "up" (8), "down" (2), "left" (4), "right" (6), "home" (7"), "end" (1), "page up" (9), and "page down" (3). There isn't an LED indicator of the num lock's status, so you just have to make a mental note.The "=" on the number pad doesn't do anything, irrespective of the num lock. And I have yet to find any functionality in the "eject/usb" key.I did spend a decent amount of time exploring the idea of remapping keys so that I wouldn't have any quirks like the dead "=" key, for instance, or so I could switch ctrl and cmd so that it would be more like working on a Mac. But it can get weird, and will often create a conflict. If you try to remap the search shortcut on F3, for example, Windows interprets that as a "space" button; remap it and now you have no space bar. There's only one "space" function to go around, it seems. But remember that that F3 search button does nothing on its own, so one would think you could assign it to something else without giving up a non-existent space button. If you're scratching your head a bit, then you're reliving my experience. In the end, I decided that it was best to do no remapping at all, and to let the keyboard do its thing. It did seem entirely feasible to remap F1-F12 in their standalone, locked state, however. But some of my apps use those buttons, so I keep them clear for that. If you're a tech wizard, you may have a remapping solution that solves every problem I've mentioned. I knew nothing about keyboard remapping going into this, I feel like I learned a lot about it in the process, and yet I decided against it. For reference, I was using PowerToys, with a brief dabble in SharpKeys.At first, I had written off the ability to switch between multiple Bluetooth devices using the buttons in the top right. But once I had it connected, I thought, "Why not connect it to my phone?" One pairing later, and now I can use it to type on my phone by pushing one button. Then I thought, "Why not connect it to my old iMac that's just sitting here waiting to be discarded?" So I did. I can jump between all three devices with ease; the switch takes about a half a second. As someone who wasn't interested in the feature at first, I was sold on it in no time, and I can easily see myself taking advantage of it in the future.My only minor complaint is that it seems to take just a second too long to connect to my computer upon startup despite the fact that I keep it wired to the PC. I'm ready to type in my password, and I tend to jump the gun just a little. I suspect, therefore, that the keyboard doesn't send the input signals over the cable. I would prefer it did, but I'll let it slide. By the same token, I can't seem to use it to enter my BIOS on startup because it presumably has not connected yet. My magic keyboard always seemed to connect to my iMac right away, so perhaps the responsibility for these minor connectivity quirks falls more squarely on the shoulders of my PC; who knows? (UPDATE: It does have a wired mode; press fn+eject to use it. But it still doesn't connect automatically on boot up. I'm not sure if something changed, but what I actually have to do is boot the computer, unplug the keyboard, and plug it back in for it to be recognized on the wired connection. A hassle, but....)Other than that, it seems to be smooth sailing, and I'm having a comfortable and efficient time gliding across this keyboard. I wasn't expecting it to be as compatible as it seems to be with Windows 10, and for that, I can safely say that it has exceeded my expectations. Make me a PC version and maybe I'll get that, but this will do just fine in the interim.

I game a lot on my pc but I mostly play with a controller. Lately I've been playing more keyboard and mouse strategy games (Divinity 2 and Baldurs Gate 3) and figured I needed a better keyboard since my kids nearly broke my last one.First, I love how sturdy the metal housing is. Out of the box it's got a solid build.Second, it was so quick and easy to hook up, and immediately the volume worked, pause, play, next, previous, all of it works perfectly! And it has 10 different brightness settings which makes it very comfortable in very low light settings (like with a dark movie on).Third, I've always personally loved lower profile keyboards much like a laptop. I find them easier to type on and also kinda like typing on one of those bubble pop fidgit toys for kids and I'm obsessed lol.And Lastly, it comes with 2 3M bumps to put on the back to put the keyboard at more of an angle for your wrist which I ended up using and the single feels great.TL;DROverall, I'm loving this keyboard, it's build, it's feel, and it's utility and full selection of buttons. If it doesn't give me any issues I will probably be back to buy the full sized keyboard from Satechi and use this one for my laptop!2 Year Review:It still works great, it still looks great, I still love it! My only complaint is that sometimes it takes a second to "wake up" when you first go to use it for the day, but that's only sometimes when I leave it unplugged for a while. ZERO keys sticking (And I game with it so I have a tendency to be rough on my keyboards), the light is still as bright as ever, and it still feels luke I could knock a burglar out with it and still use it no issues lol.

This is a first-impressions review of the Satechi Slim X3 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard.I have used every single Apple keyboard design since the original Macintosh in 1984. While some designs were pretty good and others more forgettable, Apple’s (wired) aluminum keyboard (shown in one of my photos) introduced in 2007, with its low height, thin profile, flat plane, square keys, gentle front-to-back slope, and minimal footprint has always been my favorite. Its design was a radical departure from the traditional dome-switch keys (tall, concave keys with a lot of travel) included in wired desktop keyboards of the era. Apple essentially took the chiclet-style keys found on MacBooks of the era, surrounded them with a flat plane of aluminum, and included it as a wired keyboard (including the arrow keys section and the numeric keypad) with desktop Macs. As a touch typist, I was reluctant at first to try the aluminum keyboard … but after 10 minutes of using one, I was immediately hooked, and it became my favorite Apple keyboard design. Burned by the lousy feel of the butterfly key mechanisms introduced in on the 2015 MacBook and 2016 MacBook Pros, I wasn’t willing to try the wireless Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad that replaced the wired keyboard in 2017 for desktop Macs — so I held onto Apple’s older wired aluminum keyboards for use with the several Macs that I use at home and work.In early 2021, when Satechi announced the new Slim X3 backlit keyboard (in both wired and wireless versions) with a design that appeared very similar to what I’ve considered Apple’s best wired keyboard — low height, thin profile, flat plane, square keys, gentle front-to-back slope, and minimal footprint, plus the bonus of backlighting — I was willing to give it a try. My early impressions of the tactile feel of the keyboard are very positive; to my fingers, the Satechi Slim X3 feels very comparable to Apple’s wired aluminum keyboard. Surprisingly, as you’ll see in a photo, keys in the main “qwerty” portion of the keyboard are just a tiny bit (perhaps only a couple of millimeters) wider than Apple’s, but the difference is so small that you won’t notice. Overall, the keyboard is actually narrower than Apple’s; Satechi has less separation between the “qwerty,” arrow keys, and numeric keypad portions of the keyboard.The front row of the Slim X3 is at roughly the same height as Apple’s front row. The back row of the Slim X3 is lower in height than Apple’s, but Satechi includes a pair of optional feet; if attached, the back row of the Slim X3 will be higher than Apple’s wired keyboard.The backlighting is a nice feature, and one not available at this writing in Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad for Macs (as distinct from the Magic Keyboard for iPad or the Magic Keyboard built into MacBooks, which do have backlighting). The backlighting in Satechi’s Slim X3 is almost too effective in that the light leaks from the front and side edges of the keycaps, especially in the row of function keys when viewed from a normal typing angle. (Backlighting on my 2018 MacBook Air and on my Magic Keyboard for iPad both seem to be more contained.) But if Satechi’s keycap design is perhaps less refined than Apple’s in terms of backlighting, it doesn’t bother me — and, of course, the backlighting can be dialed down or turned off.Even though I’m a fan of wired keyboards for use with desktop Macs, I chose the Bluetooth version of the Slim X3 because the wired version has a USB-C connection and I will be using the Slim X3 for the time being with an older iMac that has only USB-A jacks. But I can confirm that pairing the Slim X3 via Bluetooth with a 2012-model iMac was flawless. Because the Slim X3 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard can also be simultaneously paired with as many as four computers, I also paired it with a 2016 MacBook Pro. Switching between computers, using the function-row Bluetooth 1, 2, 3, and 4 keys at the top of the numeric keypad, works just fine and is quick.Because this is merely a first-impressions review, I can’t speak to the Slim X3 keyboard’s battery life; in fact, it came at least partially charged and I haven’t even charged it yet! If my impressions about durability or anything else are negative after a few months of use, I’ll come back to update this review. But initial impressions of the Satechi Slim X3 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard are very positive. I’m glad to recommend this product.UPDATE (10 days): Adjusting to this keyboard took no time at all. Although keystrokes feel ever-so-subtly different from Apple's wired aluminum keyboard, the difference hasn't slowed me down. On rare occasions (maybe once or twice a day), keystrokes result in repeated letters on-screen (such as "mm" instead of "m"); I think it's this Satechi keyboard rather than my fingers since I didn't experience this with Apple's wired keyboard, but it doesn't happen often enough for me to be bothered or to reduce my rating.UPDATE (7 months): I continue to be impressed with the feel of this keyboard … but the issue of repeated keystrokes (such as "bb" instead of "b") happens often enough (a couple times daily, perhaps as often as once per hour, on random keys so I don't think it's a manufacturing defect on one or more keys) that I've lowered my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars. Given that this issue doesn't occur with Apple's old wired aluminum keyboard (and I use one of those almost daily on three other Macs), I'm inclined to think that it's a minor design flaw in Satechi's product. Going forward, I will try to pay more attention to which keys see occasional repeats — to confirm my theory that this is a minor design flaw rather than a defect with specific keys on my Satechi Slim X3.