Satechi Slim X2 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 - Space Gray

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 HAVE NEVER WRITTEN AN AMAZON REVIEW despite buying things on Amazon for years.This review is true.I tried 5 different keyboards and the Satechi Slim X2 and the Satechi Compact are #6 and #7 to try.I use Mac and love Magic Keyboard but it does not have backlight.I also wanted something small but that also had the number pad (useful for Sibelius).I wanted bluetooth connectivity and a similar typing experience to the Magic Keyboard.Many offerings have the CTRL key and FN switched in position which bothers my hot key routine.The Logi MX is excellent however the backlight shuts off and is activated by motion, therefore it is constantly going out and there is no way in the software or hardware to adjust this, as of writing.I am very glad I found these Satechi keyboards because they are the only ones that do exactly what I need:- backlit- backlit stays on- all keys are in the correct place for mac- the typing experience is similar to quality of Magic Keyboard- they are compact- include number padThe Satechi Compact is slightly thicker, probably of equal thickness to Magic Keyboard, and the X2 is slightly less thick.The Compact has rounded corner keys and the X2 has the square keys like on Mac.They are both excellent so far and I am returning the other keyboards. The X2 is more like the Magic Keyboard experience because of the square corner keys but they both feel the same otherwise.I am wondering if the Compact has better battery life as it is slightly more thick. But I just got these today so only time will tell.I am keeping both - one will live on my desk and one will live in my bag for travel.Unless the battery life turns out to be terrible I am glad to find these keyboards. I highly recommend.I don't care for writing reviews but I am very satisfied that I found these after quite a search that I felt inclined to share, which is very rare for me.The X2 could basically be a Mac product if it had the logo - it really matches it well and it has backlight. Odd that Apple does not make Magic Keyboard with backlight.Thanks for reading I hope this review saves you time and toil.UPDATE 11.24.23So far so good. I have been using the Slim X2. It is very similar to Magic Keyboard.I have not charged it yet even from the package opening. I read on the Satechi website (which is good) that the battery in the X2 is 1300 mAh and the battery in the Compact is 700 mAh. This is interesting because the Compact is slightly wider and thicker.In any case, both have good build quality, especially the Compact. It has some really nice metal binding and I think the body of both are aluminum or some other metal.I will probably choose the X2 first because the keys are square it is more reminiscent of the Magic Keyboard and the battery capacity is listed as being greater, though I am not sure at this point that this is an important consideration.One final note - the backlight does fade out if not typing and is reactivated with motion of fingers on keyboard. But unlike the MX keys the fade out does not happen immediately (was really annoying) and it takes approximately 60 seconds of inactivity for the fade to occur. This is a good thing.Also if the backlit setting is at full brightness when the fade happens it does not completely fade to zero it seems, which is also good. I am very happy with the X2. The Compact is really good too. The build quality is wonderful.