Typing on your phone when texting is fine, but what about when sending a business email? How about when you want to write something free of shorthand, typos, or your phone’s autocorrect? A Bluetooth keyboard for your phone isn’t a must-have accessory, but there are good reasons to have one.
A Bluetooth Keyboard Can Make Anywhere a Writing Spot
I understand that most people aren’t professional writers, so you probably don’t see much value in the idea of being able to write in more places than you normally would. But even those of you who don’t write for a living might have some things you write for fun: blogs, poems, song lyrics, journals, D&D character sheets, you name it.
Of course, almost everyone has access to a computer these days, and laptops are pretty portable, so why bother with a Bluetooth keyboard for your phone? Well, there are still some places where it’s weird or inconvenient to bring a laptop. The whole reason I bought a Bluetooth keyboard was because there’s a small park area near my apartment, and I wanted to get out of my house more while writing.
Sure, there’s nothing actually stopping me from bringing my laptop out there, but I don’t want to carry it down to the park; plus, there’s nowhere to plug the laptop in if I wanted to sit down there and write longer than my battery will last. Finally, I just don’t want to be that guy who plants his big laptop on one of the two picnic tables out at the park.
With a Bluetooth keyboard for my phone, I can just pocket it and go pretty much anywhere I want to write without the shortcomings of a laptop, including its literal weight on my shoulders.
Bluetooth Keyboards Open Up Writing Opportunities
By this, I mean that your phone is almost always available. As portable as laptops are these days, how often do you actually have one on you throughout the day? I don’t know about you, but my laptop doesn’t come with me when I’m running errands, going out to eat, or taking a walk. Admittedly, writing something usually isn’t a pressing concern in those situations, but that’s not the point.
The point is that the option is available if I want or need it. Portable Bluetooth keyboards are small. The one I have is so compact that I can fit it into my pocket. Even if I don’t have any specific plans to write while I’m out and about, it’s no skin off my teeth to have the keyboard with me. It won’t weigh me down like a laptop, and I don’t have to worry about where to hide it in my car while I’m in a store.
Compared to your laptop, you’re likely to have your phone with you no matter what you’re doing. That means, as long as you have a portable Bluetooth keyboard, you’ve practically always got the option to write efficiently, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Maybe only a writer would see the value in that, but I know some of you out there are kindred spirits.
Some Bluetooth Keyboards Can Connect to Multiple Devices at Once
This feature isn’t uniquely useful for writing on your phone. Not every Bluetooth keyboard can do this, but many of them can connect to several devices at once and switch between the one it’s typing for at the press of a button. So you could have it connected to a laptop, tablet, and phone at the same time.
It’s niche, I won’t deny. Unless you’re a very busy writer, you probably won’t be writing on three different platforms at the same time (calling myself out!). But even so, it’s a nifty feature. Sometimes I write and play games on my Xbox Series X at the same time, and only with a Bluetooth keyboard with such a feature can I quickly switch between writing an email and responding to an angry 12-year-old in Halo multiplayer without hassle.
Just make sure you find a keyboard with the features you want, and this joy can also be yours.
Bluetooth Keyboards Are More Ergonomic
I’ve mostly talked about why you’d want to use a Bluetooth keyboard with a mobile device, but there’s one good reason to consider using one even over the integrated keyboard on your laptop. You can put a Bluetooth keyboard wherever you want. Your laptop keyboard doesn’t have the freedom and flexibility always to offer the most comfortable position for your hands and wrists.
You can put your Bluetooth keyboard in your lap, off to the side of your laptop, in an elevated position, or anywhere else that might be comfortable for you. Admittedly, this can be canceled out a bit depending on the keyboard you buy: some of them are pretty small and might require a funky typing stance. But as long as you purchase an option that will be physically comfortable for you to use, that won’t be an issue.
That said, if you buy a full-sized Bluetooth keyboard, it loses the convenient portability that I’ve been talking about up until now, but whether or not that matters depends on what you want to use it for.
Bluetooth Keyboards Are Very Affordable
All things considered, a Bluetooth portable keyboard is unlikely to become a crucial part of your everyday life. I use mine a few times a week and write for a living. Obviously, it wouldn’t be worth it to buy one if it cost $100. But these keyboards are very affordable. Mine was only $25, and for that price, it folds in half, has a nice leather exterior, and comes with a phone stand.
A Bluetooth keyboard for your phone isn’t going to revolutionize your life. But for how cheap it is, I firmly believe it falls into the category of “everyone could benefit from having one.” It’s a lot like owning an umbrella: you might only use it every once in a while, but it doesn’t cost much to buy one, and you’re glad you did the few times you pulled it out.
Some things are nice to have even if you don’t actually need them, and in my opinion, portable Bluetooth keyboards fit that bill. Whether you want to use it to turn your phone into an efficient typing tool or because you want the freedom to type on your laptop more comfortably, the best of these keyboards are affordable investments that open up a whole new world of convenience and comfort.
