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I've been on a quest to find a miniature, Mac-specific keyboard (i.e., one with a Command key) the size of the Macbook Pro keyboard I'm used to (but separate so I can start practicing appropriate ergonomics and hopefully have less neck, shoulder, and back pain) and with similarly quiet keystrokes. It's not been a fun or especially fruitful search, but I've landed on a suitable selection for me and another excellent option for people with larger hands. So, here's what I've tried and what I thought about them in case it help you in your search. For context, I'm using these for work vs. gaming or media, and I usually work in complete silence, so the 10/10 whisper quiet original Macbook keyboard is the bar I'm measuring against. I was also looking to match the aesthetics of my aluminum and black Macbook and black trackpad as best as I could.
**THIS KEYBOARD: Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard – Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, Android, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV Compatible – with Flow Cross-Computer Control and Easy-Switch up to 3 Devices – Dark Grey | $32 | This isn't my favorite keyboard in terms of aesthetics, and I hate that it has circular keys. I really don't understand why anyone would sacrifice utility for "aesthetics." I mean, I'm a real aesthete, but I don't find circular keys optically groundbreaking in any way, shape, or form. It's gimmicky at best. Unfortunately, it's the quietest of all the truly miniature keyboards, earning an 8/10 compared to the whisper-quiet Macbook Pro. The keys do make a soft click, and if you hit them with some force, they will make a bit of a soft "thud" sound, but nothing like the bass-like tones apparent in all five options above, save for the Vortec. So, why is that unfortunate? Because I'm a well experienced and pretty skilled typist, but the small, circular keys have me mistyping far more often than is usual for me, and the spacebar is a particular offender, which is incredibly irritating given how often it's used. It is, however, reasonably quiet, so I'm trying to convince myself that I'll get used to it and train myself to find the sweet spot on the spacebar. But I definitely read at least one other customer review complaining about the shoddy spacebar. So, my hope is tempered. Also, while the gray isn't particularly offensive (even though there are three bright yellow buttons on it, which I also don't like), it doesn't match the Mac aluminum gray or the black of my trackpad. It is available in blue, though, so I plan to buy the blue and go for a fun pop of color instead of cohesion and to just hope like heck that my hands get used to these stupid circular but amongst-the-quieteset-I've-found keys.
**Vortec Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad, iPhone, Android, Apple, Windows – Streamlined, Compact Multi Device Keyboard – Ergonomic Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard for Mac, PC – Computer Keyboard Bluetooth by Vortec | $25 | This isn't much of a miniature keyboard. Sure, it's smaller than one with a separate number pad, but it's wider than my entire 13" Macbook Pro, so the keys are spaced much further apart than I'm used to, and they're circular as well, which steals a little surface area from you that could make the wider spacing more doable. I eventually got into the habit of finding the backspace key with my pinky, but I made so many more typing mistakes due to the weird key spacing that I was constantly hitting it. It also has the brand name emblazoned on the spacebar, which I hate. The keys weren't loud, though -- it earned about a 8/10 on the quiet scale (the best score I've found in my search, all things considered) -- and they didn't have a distinctly cheap sound to them like some of the others. So, if you have big hands/if laptop keyboards are too small for you but you don't want a full-size keyboard, this one's almost certainly worthwhile. It's just not for me, but I'm 5'1" and perfectly comfortable using the original keyboard on my 13" Macbook Pro.
**Bluetooth Keyboard for Mac, OMOTON Compact Wireless Keyboard Compatible with MacBook Pro/Air, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Pro Laptop and PC, Grey | $24 | I wanted to love this keyboard so badly because it was super cheap, making it a contender for traveling with (without any anxiety) since it's easily replaceable, and it successfully appropriated Apple's aesthetics, offering a space gray keyboard with black, square keys vs. circular keys, which certainly appear to be trendy at the moment even though, from an ergonomics standpoint, I can't imagine why. I like the angle that it's at (vs. flat) as well. And the keys themselves aren't terribly loud. I'll give them (specifically) a 7/10 on the quiet scale. However, the keystrokes combined with the arguably cheap (again, $24) keyboard frame make a low, hollow, rumbling, bass-like sound that sounds terribly cheap and that I just can't get over, which made its overall acoustic score a 5/10. In addition, the surface texture of the keys is also not smooth, so the keys feel cheap as well, which was tough if you're sensitive to sensory stimuli. There are better options for only a little bit more money for sure.
**Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard – Illuminated Keys & Multi-Device Sync – Compatible with 2022 MacBook Pro/Air M2, 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Pro & Max, 2021 iMac, 2020 Mac Mini and More | $60 | For $60, I high really hopes for this one, especially since it also successfully appropriates Mac's aesthetics, offering a space gray keyboard with black, square keys. It even has the same on/off toggle as Apple's mini Magic Keyboard, so it's not like it's hiding what it's up to, and it does a much better job at "borrowing" from Apple than the OMOTON replica does, offering smooth keys and a flat form factor that doesn't shake or rattle or cause a din as you type. The only place that it falls short is in the keystroke sound. The keys have a sharp, clicky sound to them in addition to a bit of a bass-like rumble. It doesn't sound hollow, cheap, or rattly, and it isn's quite as noticeable as in cheaper keyboard. But it's there and, given everything else that's great about it, it's a real disappointment. I really wanted this one to work for me and am sad it won't.
**Kensington Multi-Device Dual Wireless Compact Keyboard - Black (K75502US) | $30 | This had the loudest keys of all seven keyboards I've tried, earning a 0/10 on the quiet scale, with 10/10 being the original Macbook Pro keyboard. It was absolutely unusable. You may as well buy a high-profile mechanical keyboard for all the sound this made.
**Macally Small USB Wired Keyboard for Mac and Windows - 78 Scissor Keys, 13 Shortcut Compatible Apple Keyboard - Mini Compact USB Computer Keyboard That Saves Space and Looks Great - Space Grey | $30 | As soon as I tried a wired version, I realized it was the wrong choice, regardless of how many batteries I have to go through or how short a wireless keyboard charge may last. It just looked messy and dated. The real reason I couldn't keep it, though, was that the keys were super loud and had a low, bass-like tone to them that makes them sound even louder than they might actually be decibel-wise. I'd give it a 3/10 on the quiet scale. I work in silence and this was an absolute racket reminiscent of, but not quite as bad as, a mechanical keyboard.
**Apple's Magic Keyboard (Mini, No Touch ID) | $99 | I bought this too thinking that it'd be the best option. However, it's only available in an aluminum form factor with white keys, so it doesn't match the aesthetics of my Macbook or the black Apple trackpad I bought because it matches my Macbook. And for $100, I really want to be happy with it. Also, even though I know it has the same keys as my laptop and it was similarly (I don't know about exactly as) quiet, there was something that just didn't feel the same about the Apple keyboard as its own disembodied entity, even though the laptop-attached keyboard is also flat. I think it might have had to do with the thinness of the form factor. I'm really not sure. But I wasn't $100 happy with it, so I returned it. If it were available in aluminum with black keys, I would no doubt own that and have called it a day, even given the weird "feel" issue I had. But it's not -- even though Apple could clearly charge more money for the other color, like it does with the trackpad. So, that's incredibly disappointing as well. And, even though it doesn't match my setup, it will be what I go back to if I can't get the Logitech to end up working for me.
I hope this helps! :)
| Wireless Type | Bluetooth |
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