Samsung has now made its Pro Keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra available in the US and Europe, expanding availability after the accessory first launched in Korea earlier this month.
The new accessory is designed to turn the brand’s flagship tablet into something much closer to a laptop, complete with a large trackpad and a more rigid hinge setup. All of this sounds great till you hear the price tag. Samsung is charging $399.99 in the US and €389.90 in Europe for the Pro Keyboard, which is a lot of money for what is still just a keyboard case.
Spend just a $100 more, and you can get the base configuration of the MacBook Neo with the student discount.
Premium build, premium weight, very premium pricing
The company is clearly trying to justify that hefty price tag with materials and finish. Unlike most other keyboard cases, Samsung’s Pro Keyboard uses a large aluminium casing, and the hinge is designed to keep the tablet stable enough that you can use the touchscreen without the whole setup wobbling around. It connects through the metal pins on the back of the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, so there is no need to charge it separately or go through the hassle of pairing it over Bluetooth.
The tablet and keyboard can then fold together like a laptop, which makes the whole thing feel more like Samsung’s most direct attempt yet at turning the Tab S11 Ultra into a real laptop replacement. Combine this with Samsung DeX, and suddenly, this premium accessory makes more sense. The keyboard deck also includes a dedicated AI key and three customizable function keys that can launch apps selected by the user.
It is not just expensive, it is heavy too
The other catch is weight. On its own, the Keyboard Pro weighs 1.4lbs (about 0.64kg). So, pairing it with the tablet, the complete setup weighs 2.93lbs (1.33kg), which is basically as heavy as most 14-inch laptops. This also makes the accessory feel a little awkward. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra with Keyboard Pro is more laptop-like, but it also inherits some of the same downsides, like the weight, without actually becoming a laptop.
