Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID: Review Roundup

Who it’s for

The Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is for people on Apple-silicon Macs who want a fingerprint reader at the desk. Cult of Mac says Apple’s keyboard is the only way to get Touch ID on a Mac 1, and Macworld names it the best Mac keyboard with Touch ID in a round-up of Mac keyboards 2. The strongest fit is a desktop with no built-in sensor. MacRumors calls it most useful for the Mac mini, which ships without a keyboard 3, and Tom’s Guide agrees that a Mac mini looks like an ideal pairing 4. Apple itself ships it as the standard keyboard on the 10-core M4 iMac 5.

Which version each outlet examined matters when reading the findings. PCMag, Chuniversiteit and MacRumors examined the full-size model with a numeric keypad 673. Cult of Mac and Macworld cover both sizes 12. Tom’s Guide and Wayne’s Workshop wrote about the 2021 Lightning-port generation 48, and PCMag says the USB-C port is the only change from that model 6. Claims below say which model a reviewer used where it matters.

Who should skip it? Owners of Intel Macs come first: Macworld and MacRumors each report that the Touch ID feature is unusable on those machines 23. Heavy typists and mechanical-keyboard fans come second. Cult of Mac’s reviewer, a self-described mechanical-keyboard enthusiast, made more typos than on keyboards with deeper travel 1, Macworld says low travel can feel lifeless to people who type a lot 2, and PCMag’s reviewer, a heavy-handed typist, counts the shallow travel as a demerit 6. Anyone who moves one keyboard between several computers should also look elsewhere 16. Wayne’s Workshop advises anyone who only needs a keyboard to buy the version without Touch ID 8.

What reviewers praise

Touch ID gets the warmest comments. PCMag’s reviewer says setup took barely a minute and that the sensor recognized the stored print close to foolproof 6. Tom’s Guide’s writer, using the 2021 model, says “the Touch ID sensor proved easy, reliable, and quick to use” 4. MacRumors reports that it works perfectly with an M1 Mac and behaves like the button on a MacBook, authenticating purchases, replacing a password and doubling as the sleep and wake button 3. Cult of Mac calls Touch ID a pretty excellent experience 1, and Chuniversiteit’s reviewer found it quite useful for passkeys despite expecting to use it rarely 7. Macworld places the sensor by the F12 key and says it stores up to three fingerprints 2. Wayne’s Workshop gives the same limit of three 8.

One detail of the hardware earns a mention. Cult of Mac says the Touch ID key uses a different switch from the other keys that takes more force to press, so it is less likely to be hit by accident, and a click also locks the Mac instantly 1.

Typing feel is praised in a qualified way. Cult of Mac’s reviewer rates it among the better laptop-style membrane keyboards, with stable keys that do not wobble and a quiet but audible click 1. PCMag calls the scissor mechanisms nearly soundless, a welcome contrast to mechanical clatter, and says the shallow travel should delight light-touch users 6. Macworld allows that some typists may like that their fingers do less work 2.

Build and battery draw steadier approval. Chuniversiteit calls the keyboard exceedingly well built and quite sturdy despite looking fragile 7, PCMag calls the design as gorgeous as ever 6, and Wayne’s Workshop judges that the 2021 refresh seems like a quality product 8. Chuniversiteit says the battery is where the keyboard genuinely excels 7. Apple’s own page says about a month or more per charge 9, and Macworld describes the battery life as month-long 2. Finally, the numeric keypad on the full-size model is useful: Chuniversiteit finds it handy for one-time codes 7, and Macworld expects it to help people who work with numbers 2.

Common criticisms

Price is the most consistent complaint. Macworld says the compact model at $149 is “priced at quite a premium for the Touch ID sensor” 2. Wayne’s Workshop calls the 2021 model expensive at $50 over the standard version 8, and PCMag says the full-size keyboard remains expensive at $179 for white and $199 for black 6. Chuniversiteit calls the Dutch price of €229 staggering and names price as the keyboard’s main downside 7. Cult of Mac’s headline says it is a high price to pay for Touch ID, and its text adds the cost of giving up a clicky mechanical keyboard 1.

Missing features come next. Macworld lists no backlight among its cons 2, and PCMag makes the same complaint, adding that the full-size board has no adjustable feet or wrist rest 6. Both Cult of Mac and PCMag fault the lack of multi-device pairing, and Cult of Mac notes that Apple’s latest peripherals still use ordinary Bluetooth 16.

The compact layout is cramped. Macworld says the small Space bar and cursor keys make it feel cramped 2. Cult of Mac’s reviewer misses physical Page Up, Page Down, Home, End and Forward Delete keys, notes that the left and right arrows match the combined up and down keys in height and are hard to tell apart by feel, and says key-combination substitutes usually take both hands 1.

Color options are narrow. Cult of Mac says the compact model comes only in white apart from the six colors offered with an iMac, and black exists only on the full-size model for $20 more 1. Macworld lists the pricier black version among its cons 2. PCMag adds that the iMac’s color range is available only with a new iMac 6. Tom’s Guide made the same point about white-only availability for the 2021 model 4.

Compatibility needs checking. PCMag’s reviewer saw Touch ID fail on a 2021 MacBook Pro running macOS Monterey 12.3.1 until updating to macOS Sequoia 15.1 6, which matches the macOS 15.1 requirement on Apple’s page 9. Wayne’s Workshop adds that first-time pairing with a Mac needs a cable and a quick double press of the Mac’s power button 8. Chuniversiteit also finds the smooth plastic underside a bit cheap-looking 7.

Where reviewers disagree

Whether Touch ID is dependable. PCMag’s reviewer found recognition close to foolproof 6, MacRumors says it works perfectly with an M1 Mac 3, and Tom’s Guide’s writer calls it reliable 4. Chuniversiteit is the dissenter, saying Touch ID is nice to have only in the rare occasion that it actually works 7. The page does not say why its experience differed, so the reason is unresolved.

How loud it is. PCMag calls the scissor mechanisms nearly soundless 6, and Cult of Mac hears a quiet but audible click 1. Chuniversiteit finds it surprisingly noisy, even next to a MacBook Pro keyboard, and suspects the thin body is a factor 7. PCMag and Chuniversiteit both used the full-size model.

How good it is to type on. Apple’s page describes a “remarkably comfortable and precise typing experience” 9. Reviewers agree on the shallow travel but not on what it means: Cult of Mac, Chuniversiteit, PCMag and Macworld each describe limited key travel 1762. Cult of Mac’s reviewer made more typos 1, and Chuniversiteit says the keys have little travel, similar to a MacBook keyboard, and feel a bit harsher, and calls it not a very nice keyboard to type on 7. PCMag treats the same trait as a drawback for heavy typists and an advantage for light-touch ones 6, and Macworld splits the same way 2.

The overall verdict. Macworld puts the keyboard first in its Touch ID category 2. Cult of Mac calls it “a fine option if you want Touch ID and if you like laptop-style membrane keyboards” 1. Chuniversiteit is blunter: “There is not much to like about Apple’s Magic Keyboard.” 7 Wayne’s Workshop lands in between, saying buyers who truly need Touch ID for a particular Mac should “be prepared to pay for it” 8. Battery life is a point of agreement: Chuniversiteit’s more-than-a-month result matches Apple’s claim 79.

Alternatives

The first alternative is skipping Touch ID. PCMag lists a compact USB-C model without Touch ID at $99 6, and both Wayne’s Workshop and Macworld point buyers who do not need the sensor, or who own an Intel Mac, toward the version without it 82. Cult of Mac notes that a Mac can also be paired with an Apple Watch for the same authentication features, though its reviewer finds the interface a little less elegant 1.

Third-party keyboards give up Touch ID, which Chuniversiteit says is available only on first-party keyboards 7. In return they address the criticisms above. Macworld names the Logitech MX Keys S for Mac as its pick for power users, the Satechi Slim EX1 and EX3 for multiple devices, and the Keychron Q6 Max as its mechanical pick, and suggests mechanical boards to people who type heavily 2. PCMag says the Magic Keyboard inspired the Logitech MX Keys for Mac and the Satechi Slim X3, notes that the Slim X3 cycles among four saved devices at half the price of the full-size Apple board, and says the Logitech Wave Keys offers far better wrist and finger support 6.

Buyers who care most about quiet keys have a different benchmark. Chuniversiteit said it had favored silent keyboards such as the Logitech MK295 until buying this one 7, although it also calls the MK295 plasticky next to the Apple board’s build 7. Cult of Mac’s reviewer would instead want a tenkeyless layout with full-size arrow and navigation keys 1.