Verdict
totally uninteresting in its design , the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT for Mac is still a very goodish , well-fixed wireless keyboard that wo n’t break the bank building .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Hoping to rival Logitech ’s tumid Mac range while keeping the smaller rounded sharpness for that signature Apple expression , the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT has plenty give-up the ghost for it
Tested across the Intel Mac Mini , M1 iPad Pro , andM1 MacBook Air , I will hop-skip in good order to the following : it performed admirably , but there are a few areas where this low-priced keyboard does n’t quite strike .
Design
The Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT for Mac – to call it by its full name – try relatively hard to keep yard with Apple ’s own Magic Keyboard job , while cutting a few obvious corners to keep cost down .
One such sacrifice ( and this may be a preference deserving picking it up for ) is with the keys . These are n’t ultra low-toned - profile switches like the ones Apple prefers , but more traditional , almost retro - inspired scissor pencil eraser domes .
Though plastic , they have a rubber - like visual aspect thanks to their light grey colour , childlike fable , and high protrusion . They ’re balmy in both style and feel , but not bathetic . They ’re surprisingly stable .
The 60 % design is bound by lightly textured ashen plastic and there ’s a vague silver sheen in the right lightness , which can facilitate it to look more premium . The plastic is impressively sturdy , holding up to wind and heavy presses well on flabby , uneven surfaces or even on a circuit .
The underside is a more basic snowy feat with lots of underlining conformation and chamfer . This culminate at the rear with a deep protrusion that hosts both the battery compartment and the two pull - out infantry . These asseverate angles up to around 110 degrees of legato pivoting .
On the back right corner , you ’ll chance a simple power toggle , a connection LED , and a diminutive reset button for clear its connexion storage .
Performance
There ’s very little to complain about with the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT . It paired quickly in my test , reacted in an twinkling and the battery goes on and on .
Even as someone who has certainly bought into the mechanical switch hype of the past decade , I ’m still just as enamoured by a salutary , classic natural rubber bean .
The diffuse , bass pop of theiPad Pro Magic Keyboardis a favored , and while the Cherry affair is n’t quite the same , its slightly taller keys have a intimate feel that is comfortable and satisfying all day long .
While more or less indented to welcome your fingertips , you never find stuck in the key of this one : it does n’t contain you back by holding you in .
The tall key are still slender enough to permit you naturally glide over as you dance from one key to the next . Errors were few and far between , and getting back up to speed after a stumble was a non - issue .
Though Bluetooth is usually the worst wireless communications protocol for input devices , it ’s still fantastically hard to notice any material input lag when it comes to a keyboard . Gaming wo n’t be a non - starter with it – specially if you ’re playing the sort of subject matter find on Apple Arcade .
I on a regular basis played rounds of Overwatch 2 with it surcharge up wirelessly to my Windows machine without result . I ’m no pro , but you get the melodic theme .
Battery and Software
The Cherry Keys computer software , used to softly configure the fellowship ’s other peripherals , is n’t especially useful with this product . There ’s no RGB , and it being a preponderantly Mac - focused board imply there ’s niggling you ’re expected to require to tweak anyway .
Likewise , there is n’t even a backlight to enable or disable . That ’s great news for battery animation on a Bluetooth connection with some AA barrage , but bad newsworthiness for anyone wanting more than a origin experience .
If you be given to combust the midnight oil , so to speak , you ’ll be bank on the ambient light of your concealment or a nearby lamp to illuminate the legend . At least it makes the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT for Mac a doddle to set up .
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Should you buy it?
The Cherry KW 7100 Mini works like a magical spell . The Bluetooth connection is solid , battery aliveness is long , and frame-up is a piece of cake . You ca n’t pen up it up to slip into a pocket , but the included eccentric makes it easy to stow in a traveling bag .
alfresco of simply choose for the equally portable , rechargeable Apple Magic Keyboard , grab theLogitech MX Keys Miniat a frequent discount can give your on - the - go power blank space a piffling more dash .
Final Thoughts
At its recommended price point , the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT for Mac is a respectable alternative . It does its job perfectly , even if it does n’t look all that great . At a glance , it has the air of an off - brand Amazon Cartesian product or a unwritten purchase from a supermarket ’s buy technical school plane section .
If theLogitech MX Keys Miniis on sale , it ’s a better buy for your portable berth or ensure out all the options listed in ourbest keyboardlist .
Trusted Score
How we test
We use every keyboard we test for at least a workweek . During that fourth dimension , we ’ll check it for ease of use , comfort and carrying into action of the switches .
We also check each keyboard ’s software to see how sluttish it is to customise and set up .
FAQs
Yes , you could expend this keyboard just fine on Windows through a Bluetooth association .
Sony ’s very strict listing of supported keyboard does n’t extend to this one . set about to connect just results in an warning notice .
