Brydge 12.3 Pro Plus and 10.5 Go Plus review: turn your Surface into a laptop

Brydge, the maker of keyboard accessories for iPads and other tablets, has a line of new accessories for Windows 10 devices that include two new keyboards for the Surface Pro and Surface Go: the $ 149.99 Brydge 12.3 Pro Plus and $ 139.99 Brydge 10.5 Go Plus. Both keyboards are designed to do the same thing: turn your Surface device into a traditional clamshell laptop. And after testing both models for a few weeks with a Surface Pro 5 and a Surface Go 2, I can confirm that they do just that.

The keyboards function similarly to the models that Brydge has for Apple’s iPad: they connect to your device via Bluetooth and have hinge clips where the tablet slides into. The hinges are rigid so that the tablet does not move when you touch it or use it on an unstable platform like your lap, and they can close it all just as you would a standard laptop and in your pocket. If you want to use your device as a tablet, just pull it out of the hinge and go on your way.

Brydge has long had a keyboard for the Surface Pro – this new model features a redesigned hinge, 70 percent larger trackpad, native multi-touch control in Windows, updated Bluetooth connectivity, and a plastic deck as opposed to aluminum. (The bottom of the keyboard is still metal.) It also weighs 70 grams less. The 10.5 Go Plus is the first model from Brydge for the Surface Go.

Compared to Microsoft’s own Surface Type Cover, the Brydge models make the Surface look more like a laptop and feel a much more stable platform to work on. Both are made of metal bases with textured plastic covers and thick rubber feet on the bottom. They have a smaller footprint than Microsoft’s keyboards because they do not rely on the kickstand of the Surface to support the tablet. This is handy when you are in tight quarters, such as when using an airplane table. They also avoid the “thunk thunk” echo sound you get with the Surface Type Cover when you enter quickly, due to its enhanced design.

Both keyboards are backlit and have full layouts, including function keys for media control, display brightness, and keyboard backlighting. The keys have good feedback and travel – I appreciate them on the better side of most laptop keyboards I’ve used – and although the backlight goes a bit round from the keys, they are otherwise evenly lit. The 12.3 Pro Plus has similarly sized keys as the Surface Pro keyboard, while the 10.5 Go Plus’ keys are slightly smaller than Microsoft’s version. But either is comfortable typing in after a short period of habit to its size.

In addition, both keyboards have Windows Precision trackpads, with support for all common multitasking gestures. Both have good tracking and a smooth finish, although they are small – even smaller than Microsoft’s own, already cramped trackpads. But apart from the size, I have no complaints about the usability or performance of the trackpads.

There are some other compromises you make with the Brydge keyboards. The most obvious is that they connect to the tablet via Bluetooth instead of the pogo pins used by Microsoft’s keyboard. That means they have to be manually connected (a relatively painless process that you only do once) and recharged every now and then.

A USB-C port on the side of the keyboard is used for charging, and the keyboard comes with a cable but not a charging brick. You can charge the tablet yourself or use a wall charger or a standard USB battery. Charging the tablet is difficult because you have a gangly cable between the Surface and the keyboard, and in the case of the Go Plus model, the charging port is on the opposite side of the USB port of Surface Go. Brydge claims that the battery lasts up to three months, so hopefully charging is a similar objection.

The other big compromise is in size and weight. The Brydge keyboards are thicker and heavier than Microsoft’s. They are about two-thirds as thick as the tablets and about twice the thickness of Microsoft’s Type Cover. Those metrics sound a lot, but in practice, the keyboards are pretty thin. Even if she is completely closed, neither is chunky.

However, the Brydge keyboards add noticeable heft. According to my scale, the Surface Go 2 weighs with the Brydge 10.5 Go Plus 1,036 grams, or just over two pounds, four ounces, compared to 793 grams / one pound, 12 ounces with the Type Cover. The Surface Pro 5 with the 12.3 Pro Plus tips the scale at 1,466 grams or about three pounds, four ounces, about 365 grams or 13 ounces more than with the Type Cover. Both are significantly heavier, but one of them is still very portable, and in daily use, weight has not been an issue.

Since both keyboards are designed in collaboration with Microsoft, they work exactly as expected with Windows 10, and all function keys reflect what is available on the Type Covers. The only hiccup is when you touch a text field on the tablet screen, causing the keyboard to appear on the screen, even if you have paired and connected the Brydge keyboard. This does not happen with Microsoft’s Type Cover and is a minor annoyance.

Ultimately, the keyboards are expensive and a little more than what Microsoft’s Type Covers typically can be found for. If you already have a Type Cover because it’s bundled with your Surface device, it can be a hard sell to drop $ 140 or $ 150 on one of these. If you do not already have a Type Cover, you pay even more for the Brydge models: the Go Type Cover is listed at $ 129.99, but it can often be found for around $ 100, while the Pro Type Cover also has a sticker has price of $ 129.99 but is regularly on sale for less than $ 100.

However, I have found the Brydge keyboards comfortable to use with few headaches, and I like how they are more stable in whatever situation I might find. Like most people, the primary way I use a surface as a laptop, thus making it behave more like a traditional clamshell laptop, while still maintaining tablet flexibility is welcome. I especially love the 10.5 Go Plus model because it turns a Surface Go or Go 2 into a modern netbook with which you can really do work while maintaining its exceptional portability. (I’m now writing this whole piece on the Go 2 with the Go Plus keyboard.)

The Brydge 12.3 Pro Plus is compatible with the Surface Pro 4, 5, 6, and 7, and it comes in black as well as silver. The 10.5 Go Plus works with the Surface Go as Go 2 and is only available in silver. Both models are now available to order from Brydge and will ship in late August or early September.

Photography by Dan Seifert / The Verge