Microsoft launches $350 Surface Pro Flex wireless keyboard for the Surface Pro 8, 9, 10, and 11

Microsoft has launched the $349.99 Surface Pro Flex wireless keyboard for the Surface Pro 8, 9, 10, and 11. The Bluetooth LE keyboard runs up to 41 hours per charge on the 495 mAh minimum capacity battery, and Windows 11 is required to use the keyboard when detached. The Pro Flex keyboard does not come with the optional Surface Slim Pen 2, but can charge one when docked. The keyboard will be released for sale on June 17, 2024.

The Microsoft Surface keyboards are designed for use with its Surface Pro tablet PCs. The keyboards turn the Surface Pros into laptops when attached, but can be folded behind the screen when using the Surface Pros as tablets. Because they are detachable and lightweight, the Surface keyboards have more flex and bounce during use than laptop keyboards. The Surface Pro Flex keyboard comes with a few new features versus prior models.

The first is the CoPilot key directly to the left of the arrow keys. This button launches the CoPilot AI in Windows 11 and is part of Microsoft's push to incorporate its AI into all aspects of daily work. The idea is to let CoPilot assist with tasks such as summarizing information, typing email replies, researching information, and so forth. It is not clear from currently available information whether this AI key can be fully disabled or not for those working on top secret and sensitive work.

The second is a slightly larger, haptic touchpad that vibrates in response to gestures. The touchpad can also sense different pressure levels, but the response to such input needs to be programmed into each application to make full use of it.

The third are buttons to mute the microphone in Windows and to launch the Windows screen snipping tool, replacing the play/pause and PrtScn buttons seen on some prior Surface Pro keyboards.

The Surface Pro Flex keyboard arrives late to the tablet PC game since the 2020 Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i tablet PC not only shipped with a free wireless keyboard, but also an E-Color Pen that can sense the color of real-world objects for precise color matching.

The keyboard measures 11.38 x 8.71 x 0.21 inches (289 x 221 x 5.25 mm) and weighs 0.75 pound (340 g). It is compatible with the Surface Adaptive Kit for the disabled. The Flex keyboard comes only in black or blue Alcantara finishes, a polyester-blend material known to stain easily and impossible to sanitize with alcohol and disinfectant wipes. It is not known whether the backlight problem seen in prior models, where the keyboard backlight automatically shuts off after a few seconds leaving users searching blindly for keys at night, has been resolved.

Readers who don't care to spend $350 on one wireless keyboard might want to buy five mechanical wireless keyboards for the same price, like this one with a micro TFT LCD screen on Amazon.