My Failed Purchase of the Logitech K480 Keyboard
After eyeing it for a full four years and waiting for my chance, I finally bought the K480. Let me cut to the chase: it was a total failure. I’m leaving this review in the hope that those who come after me won’t repeat the same mistake I did. For the sake of a fair review, let me list the other keyboards I’m currently using.
1. Main keyboard: Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard
2. Laptop keyboard: MacBook Pro butterfly1
First, let’s take a look at the K480’s killer features.
1. It's cheap. As of March 2020, you can get it for 30,000 won.
2. It's wireless (Bluetooth).
3. It can pair with up to 3 devices at once, and switching between them is convenient.
4. You can slot a smartphone or tablet into the stand.
5. It's tenkeyless, so it's small (?).
Despite the advantages above, I gave up on my attempt to use the K480 as my main keyboard. Here are the reasons why.
1. Not recognized in grub
Because of the nature of my job (I’m a developer), I have two OSes installed on a single desktop. To do this, I use grub. The problem is that when selecting which OS to boot in grub, this keyboard isn’t recognized. grub can’t detect the Bluetooth dongle. I’ve heard that if you use a Logitech Unifying Receiver, grub can recognize Bluetooth devices, but unfortunately the K480 doesn’t support the Unifying Receiver. If you use grub, you’ll have to give up on the K480.
2. Pairing drops when switching OSes via dual booting
This is an extension of problem 1. Even if you somehow manage to boot into the OS you want by plugging in a different keyboard, you have to re-pair every time you switch OSes and reboot. You could solve this problem by editing the OS config file. But because of problem 1, it’s already a lost cause. Just like with problem 1, supposedly using a Unifying Receiver solves the issue, but again, the K480 doesn’t support Unifying. Honestly, I just assumed this keyboard supported Unifying. Of course, nothing in this world should be taken for granted. When buying a device, always check the specs carefully.
3. The iPad Pro 11-inch doesn’t fit in the stand
Compared to the K380, the stand is the K480’s only advantage. But the angular edges of the iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation) won’t fit into this product’s stand. The iPad Air 2 fits just fine…
4. The keys are stiff (?)
This keyboard uses a membrane design, yet it’s almost as loud as a mechanical red-switch keyboard. And it’s stiff. For someone like me who’s been using pantograph and butterfly keyboards, my fingers get way too tired.
5. Unfamiliar key layout
I’ll spare you the detailed explanation.
When I first started my career as a developer about 10 years ago, this was a good opportunity to recall why, back then and even now, I chose a Microsoft keyboard over Logitech, which has always been the popular choice. If typing on a keyboard is your job, it’s good for both body and mind to spring for an expensive, high-quality keyboard whenever you can.
20200325
Leave a comment