Skip to main content

Is this the affordable Surface Pro keyboard you’ve been waiting for?

editors keys offers cheaper surface pro keyboard with built in battery
Image used with permission by copyright holder
One of the biggest selling points of Microsoft’s Surface line is the fact that the device represents a balance between the convenience of a tablet and the practicality of a fully fledged laptop. The reason it can hover in that middle-ground is thanks in no small part to its Type Cover keyboard accessory.

Many users have found that having a robust, detachable keyboard alleviates much of the frustration that typing with a touch screen can cause. The Type Cover makes the Surface a potent tool for work — but since it retails for a little more than $100, it’s something of an expensive add-on.

Thankfully, there might be an alternative on the horizon. Editors Keys is a company based in England that designs keyboards for use in audio and video editing, and it’s about to offer a competing keyboard for the Surface. Editors Keys founder and owner Mark Hughes theorizes that the product “may appeal to students or anyone who wants a spaced out keyboard for the Surface Pro 3.”

The device is set to complement the Surface in much the same way as the Type Cover — however, it will be substantially less expensive, and also contain its own battery. If you don’t want to affix it directly to your Surface, it will be completely functional as a wireless Bluetooth keyboard.

While the device doesn’t yet have a name, development is already nearing its end. The trackpad reportedly still needs some work, but it seems that this Type Cover competitor might be ready for retail sooner rather than later. And, with a price tag of just £49.99 (~$69.99), it could well be the budget alternative to Microsoft’s first-party keyboard that many Surface users have been looking for.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
Microsoft’s next event could reveal the Surface Pro we’ve been waiting for
The Microsoft logo at the company's September 2023 event.

Microsoft has just confirmed that it will hold a Surface and Windows event on March 21, as previously rumored. The company went live with a placeholder webpage for a digital event titled "New Era of Work," teasing some new announcements and how it will " advance the new era of work with Copilot."

Set to kick off at 9 a.m. PT on March 21 , it's looking as though this event might be a little bit more focused on the business side of things, rather than consumer offerings. Microsoft doesn't get into many details, but mentioned how the event will be focused on "the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows, and Surface."

Read more
Is this new smart ring the Oura Ring killer we’ve been waiting for?
A render of the Ringo smart ring.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring was revealed in February as a direct competitor to the Oura Ring. Now, another smart ring competitor, Ringo, could also be making waves later this year — assuming it lives up to its promise.

Ringo is the focus of a Kickstarter campaign that has already raised over eight times its goal. The ring, which could begin to arrive to backers as early as June, promises several features that are somewhat hard to believe.

Read more
The Surface Pro 10 sounds amazing, and it may be coming soon
The back of the Surface Pro 9, with the kickstand pulled out.

Microsoft could be getting ready to reveal the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 sooner than expected. Reporting from Windows Central's Zac Bowden indicates the devices might be announced on March 21, and could feature both Intel Core Ultra and Snapdragon X Elite chips under the hood, along with some design tweaks.

These new Surface devices are expected to go all-in on AI features in Windows 11. More important is that we could see the next Surface Laptop in a new ARM-based variant in addition to one with a traditional Intel Core Ultra CPU. This change in chips should not only bring more choice like the Surface Pro 9 did, but also performance gains that can help the devices rival what Apple has accomplished with the iPad Pro, as well as the new MacBook Pro with the M3 chip.

Read more