Recently I decided I was tired of bringing my laptop everywhere. And I realized I would never become a teenager with the facility to text at 100 words per minute on my phone. So I decided to buy a travel keyboard, to pair with my iPhone when I go out of town for a few days (or to a local coffee shop for a few hours).

Here’s what I bought: the Samsers Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard, on sale at Amazon for $30. (That link does pay us around 2.5-4% if you use it to purchase this item.)

So far, I like it!

The pros:

It’s a full-size keyboard. It weighs around 5 ounces and folds in half for easy travel. So it’s nice and small and light.The rechargeable battery lasts for ages (I’ve only had to charge it once, when I first got it). And the price is right for sure. It comes with an iPhone stand that’s a little flimsy but certainly does the job.

The cons:

Typing on it isn’t as easy as typing on my Mac keyboard; it takes a little getting used to each time. It’s great for writing emails on the go; less great for multitasking like switching among a lot of apps. And you need to put the keyboard on a flat surface; you can’t just put it in your lap because it will start folding up on you. And I would definitely put it inside a little bag or case to protect it when carrying it around (don’t just put it in your back pocket, as there are Amazon reports of hinges breaking). 

Some reviewers said it stopped working for them after a few months – I haven’t had it long enough to vouch for its longevity.

Summary: For the price, it has worked great for me so far. If I was going to use it much more frequently I might look for a sturdier model but for what I need, so far so good!