Typing on a touchscreen is much better than it was a few years ago, but it’s still not nearly as efficient as a physical keyboard, especially if you’re doing more than a couple hundred words. If you’re someone that tries to stay productive on the go, you’ve probably looked at external keyboards for your phone or tablet just to make that a little easier.
We got ahold of Satechi’s Slim X1 Bluetooth keyboard to see if it works well for on-the-go typing or even for your regular computer/home theater setup. It offers a slim profile with fully backlit keys, so it seems very promising. Let’s dig in and find out.
Slim design
As the name of the Slim X1 keyboard suggests, it’s pretty slim. In fact, for a keyboard that has backlighting and a battery, I don’t actually think you could have made this any smaller. It’s got an incredibly small profile, and the keys are just barely spaced out far enough to have a sleek footprint without feeling cramped. The rubber feet along the bottom barely add any height to the keyboard, so you shouldn’t struggle to toss this one in a bag or slip it under something for discrete storage.
You’ll notice that it does primarily have Apple/MacOS function keys, but that won’t stop it from working on other devices. That does mean that some things may not perfectly line up, though although your normal stuff like keyboard and screen brightness are totally fine. This is heavily device specific, but in our testing with a few laptops and phones, it wasn’t an issue. You just won’t end up using the FN or CMD keys much, if at all.
There’s a small power switch at the top right of the keyboard, plus a USB-C port in the center that allows for both charging and a direct wired connection, depending on how you want to use it. Satechi’s logo sits on the backside, and the entire thing is made of sleek brushed aluminum that feels great and has very little flex. It’s a little heavier than some similar, cheaper keyboards, but you’re looking at this because you want premium, and Satechi delivers.
Connectivity
A very nice feature that Satechi has baked into this keyboard is its ability to support three Bluetooth devices, plus a wired connection. That means you can keep your tablet, phone, and a TV or laptop connected to this without having to juggle connections, while still being able to hardwire it in a pinch.
The connections have seemed rock solid, with no dropped presses or lag. It also intelligently drops into a low power state after 30 minutes of inactivity to preserve battery. Luckily, it uses a USB-C port to charge up, so you could actually charge it off of your phone if you’d like. You also won’t need to keep up with an old microUSB cable in your bag.
Low profile typing
I’m a big mechanical keyboard guy, and I love loud, clacky switches. Those aren’t always appropriate, though, so there’s still a place for these slim keyboards with low profiles.
Satechi has managed to craft a keyboard that types well that doesn’t feel cheap or like a knockoff. My personal Windows laptop is an HP Spectre, which also sports a pretty low-profile keyboard, and I’d almost argue that the Satechi is a better keyboard than what’s on the $1500 laptop.
The keys are satisfying and have a bit more travel than what you’d get on modern laptops, but I think that’s definitely a good thing. My problem with many newer laptop keyboards is that they feel too flat because they have virtually no travel, so forgoing some of that low profile for tactile feedback is a smart move, in my opinion. It’s still almost completely silent, though, so don’t worry about noise.
The backlight looks great, and like the low-power state, will automatically turn off after a few seconds when not in use to conserve battery. It’s got three levels of brightness as well so you can still make it work even if you’re typing in the dark or in bed. Satechi also didn’t do any weird key sizings, which you sometimes see on slim keyboards with the tab or return/enter keys. Everything is standard here, with the small exception of the arrow keys. The up/down arrows are half buttons occupying the same key space, which can make blind navigation a little tricky, but I’d much rather have that than a weird shift key.
Worth it?
The Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth keyboard is premium, and they mean it. Its excellent build quality, aluminum finish, backlighting, and pleasant typing experience make it one of the better wireless keyboards on the market for your devices. If you’re an Apple user (or you just happen to have an iPad or Mac with your Android phone) it’s even better thanks to that classic Apple layout and shortcut keys that fully work across iOS and MacOS.
Things are a little more gray with Android phones, or someone on a budget. Satechi asks $69 for this keyboard, which I think is 100% worth the price tag, but there are still some cheaper options if you don’t need backlit keys, don’t care about build quality, or can sacrifice some of the other features. If you’re in the market for a $20 keyboard, you can certainly find those, but they don’t check all the boxes like this one does.
Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth keyboard | $69 | Satechi
