PinePhone Keyboard Review

The other day I received my PinePhone keyboard! Here is a review.

I'm writing this review using the keyboard itself (regular PinePhone, not a Pro), so my opinion may change by the time I finish writing.

Update: no opinion change after writing this, though my hands feel a bit cramped and sore now

First Impressisons

This thing is huge! I am glad that my Librem 5 USA finally came before this did, because there is no way this could be feasibly used as a cell phone while having the keyboard attached. You could maybe make calls work if you were determined enough or plugged in a headset, but it would be insanely awkward.

I also noticed that, while looking huge at first glance, I wasn't sure if typing would be possible on it because of how tight the keys are cramped together. I tried testing out the feel of the keys before even hooking it up to the PinePhone, and I still thought it would be difficult to use.

I did delay attaching the keyboard for a few days until I had a small block of time to dedicate, because I was thinking there was a wiki somewhere with some caveats and manual configuration. I didn't end up looking for the wiki, but did find a PDF of a manual. Scanning through that, I saw no reason not to go ahead and attach and so I did. Word to the wise, though: find this manual and read it before attaching or using! There are specific instructions on how to handle charging that, if not followed, can cause serious problems, according to the manual.

After first use

Ok, once we are booted up and *actually* typing, it's not so impossible to use. It'll take some getting used to, for sure, but it's doable!

Some of the keys are sticky, especially the number row. Also, where are all the power user keys, like for programming or scripting? Oh, they are overloaded on other keys, mainly on the bottom right. Through some careful combinations of Fn and Shift, I figured out how to get to all of the symbols on all the keys (some are in non-traditional places on the keys, like the bottom bezel).

I only used it for a few minutes after intially attaching it and then I closed it until I had some more time. Once I did that, it started to have this nostalgia factor. Not sure why I didn't notice until this point, but it definitely gives off this clunky (in a good way) retro 90s vibe... kind of reminds me of a GameGear, only smaller and not a devourer of 8 AA batteries (my memory could be off there, but it did use a lot of batteries). This retro look had me excited and thinking of ways that I could still work it into my personal computing workflow, and I thought, what better way than to use it to write a review of itself.

Speaking of the size, it is a little awkward to fit in your pocket, but you may be able to make it work depending on your pocket sizes, or if you wear cargo pants.

I have not yet found a way to check the battery status of the keyboard itself, but the charge indicator on the phone is activated, so I know the keyboard has some juice still in it. Even going into Mobian OS's Power settings just shows it at 0%. Maybe there is a guide somewhere on this? Even the Powersupply app is no help, that no longer even shows me data for the phone's battery. I'll have to see if I can find anything.

Another quirk is that the on screen keyboard still comes up all the time, requiring you to manually dismiss it. I tried enabling a keyboard shortcut in the accessibility settings to toggle the on screen keyboard, as a workaround, but that shortcut didn't work for me.

Verdict

This is hard to give an objective numerical rating, like x/10 or y/5, because there are so many variables at play. Are the oddities I mentioned above simply my ignorance on properly configuring it? If I find a way to resolve these, I might do a part II review.

Subjective score: this thing is really cool and well worth the money. If you didn't think the PinePhone was for you, then this keyboard probably should not change that take, but if you already have a PinePhone and want to play around with a new toy, then I highly recommend it.