Targus: Bluetooth Keyboard for Android Phone Review

We recently got to check out Targus's offering: a great choice if you want a cheap Bluetooth keyboard for Android phone. Or is it? Well, let's check it out, shall we?

The Good

Let's cut straight to the important stuff here and check out what's really important first. There are both pros and cons to this device. So, why don't we start out with the good?

1. Affordable
2. Compact
3. Lightweight
4. Plenty of key travel
5. Feels good to type on
6. Functionality keys
7. Plenty of battery life

The Bad

Nothing is perfect in this world, and the Targus Bluetooth keyboard for Android phone is no exception:

1. Build quality feels kinda cheap
2. Horrible layout
3. The first setup can be a bit of a pain

Now that the basic stuff is out of the way, let us go into more detail.

1: Features

This is an affordable keyboard that doesn't bring too much to the table. But, for basic usage? It's pretty ok.

It's being powered by two AAA batteries that you need to purchase separately. Thankfully, those are cheap as hell.

Targus claims that you can get 7 full months of battery usage before having to replace or re-charge the batteries. But, do take that info with a grain of salt.

After all, we haven't been using it for that long. Not to mention that battery life in such cases can significantly vary depending on the batteries that you'll get.

Other than that, there's a function button that can be used in combination with the F keys in order to perform certain actions. Opening the home screen, going back and forth between songs, stuff like that.

Last, but not least, there's also an LED button which acts as an indication for battery life and connection status. Blinking means that the keyboard is in either in discovery mode or that it has less than 15% remaining. You'll understand which one it is when the time comes.

2: Build Quality and Feel

The Targus Bluetooth keyboard for Android phone does kinda feel a bit cheap. But, hey, it usually costs a bit more than 20 bucks and it is a Bluetooth keyboard. So, what more can you expect?

The whole plastic build may have a bit of cheapish feeling, but the keys actually feel pretty darn solid. In fact, they feel better compared to most laptop offerings.

The buttons are neither too stiff or too soft and the key travel is just about right. Maybe a bit too long for certain people. But, nothing that you can't get used to.

Now, there have been a few reports which have mentioned that buttons came off. So, do be careful with how you treat it. Just to be safe.

So far, everything has been fire for us. But, most pro writers tend to type softly anyway or they are at risk of straining their fingers more than necessary.

3: Ease of Use and Portability

Portability is absolutely great. This is a small keyboard that you can easily carry everywhere with or without a carrying case/handbag.

It's obviously not as portable as the mini foldable keyboards. But, thanks to that, we also get better keys.

However, when it comes to ease of use? That's where the issues start to pile up one by one.

At first glance, the pairing process is very easy. All you need to do is:

1. Open your Bluetooth
2. Turn on the keyboard
3. Press the "connect" button on the back
4. Find the keyboard on your device
5. Press connect
6. Then type the PIN that comes up on your phone screen to the keyboard and hit "Enter"
7. Or type a PIN on both the device and the keyboard if you're being asked to do so

It sounds very simple - and it is. But, it just didn't work out that well for us. We went through several tries of trial and error trying to see what we're doing wrong.

We read the guide, searched online, but nothing. In the end, we just kept on trying the same thing time and time again until it worked - and it did!

So, we guess that there is a small delay between when the device starts asking for a PIN and the keyboard accepts that request. That's pretty much the only thing that makes sense here.

4: Layout

This is by far the biggest deal-breaker for us. You see that "Delete" button? That's normally where you normally find the "Backspace" key.

So, every time that we try typing on it and we wanna delete a word, our fingers instinctively reach towards the "Delete" button instead of Backspace. And to make matters worse, we just happen to have a shortcut for screenshots over there.

Overall, when it comes to the layout, prepare for trouble and make it double.

Granted. Chances are that there is some kind of way to map the keys differently so that the delete acts as a backspace.

However, when you buy a keyboard, you just want it to work. If we have to look online for mapping software and adjust our settings every single time, then that's a huge drag that we don't have to go through anyway. Because, after all, there are a ton of "Normal" keyboards out there.

5: Keys and Performance

For a keyboard that uses Bluetooth, the Targus feels pretty snappy. The response time doesn't feel too different from a wired keyboard.

Though, with that being said, do keep in mind that your mileage may vary depending on your phone and even the distance that you're using it. Speaking of distance, according to Targus, anything up to about 10 meters should be good.

The keyboard uses Bluetooth 3.0, which is a bit old. However, as mentioned above, we really didn't come across noticeable delays.

As for the keys, this is more or less your average rubber dome keyboard. It feels quite nice to type on, but it still has that kind of mushy feeling that most rubber dome keyboards come with.

Still, considering how small and cheap it is, this is one of the best keys that we've seen at this price point.

But, again, as we mentioned a couple of headings before, there have been cases where some keys decided to just pop off. So, do keep that in mind.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a budget wireless keyboard to use with your Android phone, then this is quite possibly not the right choice. The layout is horrible and the other negative reviews about it regarding its endurance are worrying us at best.

So, should you get it? If you only want it for gaming, sure, it's not bad. But, for typing? No. There are better choices out there with a normal layout.

Typing: 4/10
Gaming: 8/10

Check out the Targus Bluetooth keyboard for Android phone here

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