Brydge Air MAX+ Adds A Keyboard And Multitouch Trackpad To The Latest iPad Air

Brydge has launched a new wireless keyboard for iPad, complete with a multi-touch trackpad, this time aiming to help turn the iPad Air 4th Gen into a more capable laptop replacement. Like the 12.9 MAX+ for the larger iPad Pro announced last month, the new Air MAX+ combines a full QWERTY keyboard with a trackpad that supports multi-touch gestures in iPadOS.

It'll also work with the iPad Pro 11-inch – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generations – if you have one of those instead. Brydge uses a SnapFit magnetic case design, with the tablet fitting first into the back cover, and then into the keyboard slice itself.

That pairs via Bluetooth 5.0, so that you can continue to use the keyboard and trackpad even if you remove the iPad Air. The keys themselves have three levels of LED backlighting, while the case and the exterior of the keyboard have an antimicrobial treatment to leave them cleaner.

It's the touchpad that might turn the most heads, however. Although this isn't the first iPad keyboard case to offer one, it's only recently that Apple has opened up multi-touch gesture support in iPadOS to third-party peripherals. It's something we saw Brydge support with the 12.9 MAX+ keyboard case in April, and now it's being extended to new iPad Air owners too.

The trackpad itself measure 4 x 2.4 inches, while the overall keyboard case is 10 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches. It weighs 1.9 pounds. As you'd hope, there's MIL-STD810G drop projection, with Brydge claiming the Air MAX+ can withstand up to a four foot drop within issue. It supports up to 135-degree viewing angles, too.

Battery life is up to three months of use per charge. Brydge says the Air MAX+ is up for preorder now, and will ship in June. It's priced at $149.99.