Rapoo E6100 is stylish, but affordable

Rapoo E6100
Price: 4,349
Rating: 4.5/5
Bag it or junk it: Looks like the Wedge keyboard, but is cheaper

You will be forgiven for mistaking this to be the Microsoft Wedge keyboard, for the Rapoo E6100 has an unmistakable resemblance to the former. Maybe inspired, but this ultra-slim Bluetooth keyboard offers the same stylish experience at a lower price point.

The E6100 is thin, at 5.6mm, and stylish, thanks to its compact keyboard and stainless steel rear. It is also to the point. Pair with a tablet, smart TV or even smartphone using the Bluetooth button behind and you are ready to roll. And it will pair with just about anything. We tried it with an iPad 2 and Windows 8 Ultrabook and it worked fine with both. It can do the same with Android.

But Windows 8 seems to be what the manufacturer is aiming for, as there are two Windows home buttons on the keyboard. On iOS we discovered that F1, which has a home icon on it, acts like the iPad home button. One click for home, another for search and double click to show open apps. That was neat.

The keyboard itself is well spaced out and easy to use. However, there is a very audible clickety-clack, which on a device this small and compact can be a put off. It does not affect the typing as such, but to make any kind of noise while working on a touchscreen tablet for instance is blasphemy. With some other keyboards of this size we have had the issue of clicking keys unintentionally and ending up at wrong places. The E6100, thankfully, has no such issues.

The Rapoo E6100 is a good value-for-money keyboard, especially for those with Windows 8 tablets. You have a better reason to buy this if you have touchscreen devices spread across multiple platforms, as this one will work with all of those. The price is also very palatable.