- Best Keyboard For Mac Desktop
- Best Gaming Keyboard For Mac
- Musical Keyboard For Mac
- Best Keyboard For Mac 2018
Editor's note, Nov. 16: Originally published Nov. 6, this review has been updated with final benchmark and battery life scores, as well as a review rating.
Apple's MacBook Air has gotten a much-needed reboot, keeping the name, but changing just about everything else, both outside and in. That means a new 8th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, more RAM and SSD options, a high-res Retina display, and the move to USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports. And while it's still called the MacBook Air, this new version might as well be called the 'MacBook Pro Lite,' because that's essentially what it is.
For most of its 10-plus year life, the classic MacBook Air was the default laptop for pretty much everyone, from college students to creative types to startup entrepreneurs. For many years, I called it the single most universally useful laptop you could buy.
So probably, this list of best keyboards for programmer 2019 will remain the same as the list in 2018. Final Words – Wrapping Up Finding the best keyboard for programming is not an easy task with the amount of keyboards available on the market.
Best Keyboard For Mac Desktop
But over the years, the competition moved to higher-res displays, thin screen bezels, bigger touchpads, regular component upgrades, and thinner and lighter bodies.
While this reimagined MacBook Air fixes almost all of the previous design's issues, it adds a couple of its own. It's a much better fit with the rest of the current Mac design sensibility: Larger than the 12-inch MacBook, smaller than the 13-inch Pro, and much different from the classic Air, which Apple is still selling, at least for now.
That means the long-standing design, with its thick screen bezels, smallish touchpad, deep keys and multiple ports is gone. If anything, the new Air looks and feels like a half-step between the 12-inch MacBook and the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Its price has jumped up to join the rest of the MacBooks as well. For most of its life, the Air was $999. Not cheap, but a reasonably achievable luxury, especially for a rock-solid laptop that could last years.
The new starting price is $1,199 (£1,199, AU$1,849), which is a tough blow for generations raised on the idea of getting that first MacBook for under a grand. Right now, it's only $100 less than the 12-inch MacBook or 13-inch basic MacBook Pro, so there's some price-versus-features math to do.
My cheat sheet for that is as follows. Compared to the new MacBook Air:
Best Gaming Keyboard For Mac
- The MacBook Pro is more expensive, more powerful and less portable.
- The 12-inch MacBook is more expensive, less powerful and more portable.
With each laptop excelling in a different area, and only $100 separating their base models, there won't be one correct answer for everyone. That said, this new Air is the safe middle ground between the two extremes.
Body double
Picking one up, it immediately feels lighter and smaller than the current Air, which I'm intimately familiar with. At 2.7 pounds (1.25 kilograms) and about 15 millimeters thick, it's actually fairly average when it comes to 13-inch laptops. Some similar systems get down under 10mm, but at the expense of battery, features and processing power. As it is, the new MacBook Air is firmly in the mainstream of slim laptops, but not leading the pack.
One bit of catch-up is in the screen design, which cuts the thick bezel border surrounding it by about half and adds an edge-to-edge glass overlay. It's a sharper, more modern look, and a long overdue upgrade.
Like the current Pro and 12-inch MacBook, the new Air still feels like a tank, with its one-piece aluminum construction (now 100-percent recycled aluminum, according to Apple). That's one of the reasons MacBooks, both Air and Pro, have been able to command premium prices for so long -- because you're making an investment in a product that will hopefully last for many years.
It's all about the keyboard
As the only MacBook with a traditional island-style keyboard, the MacBook Air was one refuge from those who disliked the super flat butterfly mechanism keyboards in newer MacBooks. Now the Air is firmly in the same camp as the other models. Some may lament the loss of the older style of keyboard, but I think the butterfly keyboard has never been as troublesome as people imagine, and I've certainly dealt with more difficult keyboards in more expensive products.
In this new Air, you get the latest version of the butterfly keyboard, with a new membrane underneath to help keep dust from gumming up the keys. To our knowledge, the Air and the Touch Bar versions of the Pro have this version, whereas other MacBooks have a previous version.
It takes a period of adjustment to get used to the subtle tactile feedback, but once you do get used to it, it's fine for even long-form typing. But yes, you may never grow to love it.
The payoff is that the new Air also includes a much bigger touchpad, of the same Force Touch style as on other MacBooks. That means it doesn't have a diving-board hinge on the back, and instead uses four corner sensors to register clicks, allowing the body to be thinner.
Will die-hards take this change hard? They might, but that old keyboard was never as great as you remember.
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The Rundown
- Best Overall: Microsoft Sculpt at Amazon, “The natural arc keys mimic the curved shape of your fingertips to create a more natural look and feel.”
- Best Wireless: Microsoft Surface at Amazon, “The Surface keyboard excels at protecting your hands and wrists through its keycap geometry.”
- Best Budget: Fellowes Microban at Amazon, “Includes seven hot keys dedicated to controlling multimedia playback, as well as one-touch access to open a Web browser.”
- Best for Macs:Kinesis Freestyle 2 Blue at Amazon, “The Bluetooth-based functionality allows for a total of three devices to be synced at one time.”
- Best for Portability: MoKo Foldable at Amazon, “The tech accessory feels more like a Kindle than a full-sized keyboard when stowed in your bag.”
- Best Splurge: Mistel Barocco at Amazon, “The ergonomic design breaks the keyboard into two pieces for a split design that can be positioned for a natural feel on your wrists.”
- Best for Gaming:Razer Ornata Chroma Revolutionary at Amazon, “LED backlighting and in-game effects immerse you into the experience.”
- Best Mechanical:Matias Ergo Pro at Amazon, “It’s capable of being used flat and at a nine-degree angle courtesy of the built-in keyboard legs.”
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Microsoft Sculpt
4.8
Widely recognized as the best ergonomic keyboard on the market, Microsoft's Sculpt for Windows computers is a standout choice for all-day comfort. The split keyboard design immediately assists in positioning your wrists into a more natural position rather than the straight-on approach most keyboards favor. The domed design helps maintain positioning throughout the day, keeping your wrists at a more relaxed angle, which helps to eliminates the discomforts that come from other models. Beyond its split design, the natural arc keys mimic the curved shape of your fingertips to create a more natural look and feel, which increases overall comfort. Rounding out its ergonomic design is a cushioned palm rest that allows your wrists to relax and form a completely natural feel from your fingertips to your wrists. A separate number pad allows you to choose its position for an ideal comfort level beside the Sculpt keyboard.
Read up on some helpful tips before you buy your keyboard.
Best Wireless: Microsoft Surface
Ideally suited for Microsoft’s Surface line of computers, this ergonomic keyboard is designed with comfort in mind and is a great choice for finding a natural arc. Powered by Bluetooth 4.0/4.1 and three AAA batteries with a 12-month lifespan, the Surface keyboard is wirelessly compatible up to 32 feet away from the Surface lineup. When you’re in front of the computer, you’ll find that the double-cushioned palm rest, which is covered in a mix of polyester and polyurethane (better known as Alcantara), is both durable and stain resistant. Beyond its durability, the Surface keyboard excels at protecting your hands and wrists through its keycap geometry, split space bar and a more natural design that works to prevent wrist and hand strain. The expert build quality allows for a smooth typing experience that’s whisper quiet with excellent stability for use on nearly any surface.
Best Budget: Fellowes Microban
Budget priced with premium comfort, the Fellowes Microban split design keyboard offers more natural comfort without breaking the piggy bank. Part of the Microban family of products, the antimicrobial protection will help keep your keyboard clean while still offering a more natural hand and arm position. Created with Windows machines in mind, the Fellowes includes seven hot keys dedicated to controlling multimedia playback, as well as one-touch access to open a Web browser. The dedicated number pad on the side reduces the need for external hardware and having to look for the numerical numbers at the top of the keyboard. While there’s undoubtedly an adjustment period to any ergonomic keyboard, the immediate benefit of reduced pain and stress combined with Fellowes outstanding wrist support will quickly have you asking why you didn’t switch to an ergonomic keyboard sooner.
Looking for more ergonomic accessories? Check out our roundup of the best ergonomic mice.
Best for Macs: Kinesis Freestyle2 Blue
Apple computer users should look no further than the Kinesis Freestyle2 blue wireless ergonomic keyboard that comes with a bevy of Apple-specific keyboard shortcuts, including cut, copy, paste and undo. Connecting to your Apple machine via Bluetooth 3.0, a single battery charge on the Kinesis should last around 300 hours or six months (based on two hours per day of typing).
You’ll immediately discover that the negative slope design reduces the required extension of your wrist to hit each key. Available with three different channels, the Bluetooth-based functionality allows for a total of three devices to be synced at one time (switching between the devices requires the single press of a key). Additional buttons include a shortcut for hiding (and showing) the dock, advanced controls for multimedia playback and volume.
Best for Portability: MoKo Foldable Keyboard
Musical Keyboard For Mac
Considering how thin and sleek it is, the MoKo keyboard's size alone could likely qualify it as the most portable on this list. But when you factor in that the ergonomic keyboard is foldable, things look even better.
Weighing only 6.2 ounces and sporting dimensions of 6.2' x 4' (with an unbelievable thickness of only half an inch), the tech accessory feels more like a Kindle than a full-sized keyboard when stowed in your bag. It connects via Bluetooth (though the keystrokes for turning it on seem a little quirky), and it’s laid out into two key sections to support the standard two-hand ergonomic feel.
The 110 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery takes about two hours to fully juice up, but that’ll give you up to 30 days of standby time and 40 hours of continuous type time. The company also promises about 3 million clicks of key lifetime, so this keyboard will be kicking for a while. To round out the cool factor, this gadget is pretty intuitive — right out of your bag it automatically powers on and off just by opening and closing it.
Best Splurge: Mistel Barocco
The Mistel Barocco is specifically designed for typing purists, gamers and programmers. While gamers will love the lighting fast key registering, typists will enjoy the compact, design-saving space on the desk and programmers will appreciate both Dvorak and Coleman (as well the common QWERTY) preset layouts along with three extra customizable layouts. The ergonomic design breaks the keyboard into two pieces for a split design that can be positioned for a natural feel on your wrists, thus increasing productivity and reducing pain and stress. Minimizing hand movement is a benefit of a split keyboard design and this is where Mistel delivers. The keyboard remains both durable and tough, thanks to a temperature-resistant build that’s resistant to friction and solvents (read: its lifespan is likely to outlast your existing computer).
You may also be interested in our roundup of the best computer keyboards on the market today.
Best for Gaming: Razer Ornata Chroma Revolutionary
Gaming fans who want a more comfortable keyboard feel combined with the features and looks of a mechanical one have found their answer with the Razer Ornata Chroma Revolutionary option. Gaming-centric features such as LED backlighting and in-game effects immerse you into the experience. For long-term gaming sessions, it’s the curved wrist rest that really appeals. Built specifically for the Razer Ornata, the curved wrist rest makes up for the lack of a split keyboard, allowing long-term gaming sessions to feel more comfortable and natural than a traditional gaming keyboard would allow. Adding to the ergonomic value is the mid-height keycap sizing that allows for easier keystrokes between each key depression, which minimizes the impact continuous finger movements will have on your wrists.
Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to the best gaming keyboards.
Best Mechanical: Matias Ergo Pro
Quieter than the more traditional mechanical keyboard, the Matias Ergo Pro for Windows computers offers a tactical feel and reduces the impact that standard ones have from the repetitious jarring of the hands and fingers. The split keyboard design immediately improves body posture, elbow placement and allows your wrists to be placed outward from your body for a more natural feel. Additionally, the compact design reduces the reach to a mouse, thereby lessening the impact on your neck and shoulders. A padded palm rest combines with a 4.5-degree of negative tilt for even more reduction of wrist strain. Its capable of being used flat and at a nine-degree angle courtesy of the built-in keyboard legs.
Check out our other reviews of the best mechanical keyboards available on the market today.
Best Keyboard For Mac 2018
Tested by
How We Tested
Our reviewers spent 42 hours testing one of the most popular ergonomic keyboards available. To really get the full experience, we asked them to consider the most important features when using this ergonomic keyboard — from size to compatibility with different operating systems — and we've outlined them here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.
What to Look for in an Ergonomic Keyboard
Usage - Where will you be using this keyboard? Is it mostly for personal use, or will you take it to the office? Do you need an ergonomic keyboard made specifically with gamers in mind? While you can use a keyboard for multiple purposes, you may enjoy customizing which one you buy based on how you’re going to use it the most.
Mac vs. PC - Do you have a Mac or a PC? While it seems like keyboards should be usable with both, that’s not always the case. You need to make sure whatever keyboard you buy is compatible with your system (this is usually a bigger problem for Macs rather than PCs). Additionally, the two different systems have slightly different keys. While you can often use mapping software to alleviate these issues, you may want to purchase a keyboard that is specifically designed for your type of machine.
Keyboard size - Do you need a full-size keyboard, complete with a number pad? If you’re inputting a lot of numbers, you probably find the number pad vital. But if you’re used to typing on a laptop, it’s likely you barely use it. Do you need a foldable, portable keyboard? Or do you need something with a small footprint but not necessarily portable? You can find ergonomic keyboards in all sizes — just think about what exactly it is you’ll need.
Test Results: Microsoft Sculpt (Best Overall)
4.8
What We Like
- Very comfortable
- Wireless
- Responsive keys
What We Don't Like
- No Bluetooth connectivity
- Large footprint
Our testers thought that this keyboard was very comfortable to use, even for long periods of time. “The leather pad on the bottom feels great when resting my wrists on it,” one reviewer said. While our testers liked that this keyboard was wireless and “made desk organization easier,” they wished it also had Bluetooth capability.