Here are our thoughts on the Portronics Chicklet, a super-portable and light Bluetooth keyboard.
Written by Nimish Dubey , Akriti Rana
When we think of keyboards, bulky, wired rectangular bars come to mind. And these massive keyboards work just fine as long as we are tied to our office desks and have to do all the work in one cubicle. But if your work offers you more flexibility and allows you to work from just about anywhere, having those huge, wired keyboards is simply not convenient. In such cases, you need a super portable, wireless, Bluetooth keyboard that can easily fit in your bag and will not add too much heft to it when you carry it around.
There is a wide range of keyboards that are not only completely wire-free and light but also very portable. But while some Bluetooth keyboards can easily fit into the pockets of your backpack, they can be slightly heavy on the pocket. If you are in the market for a super portable, light, Bluetooth keyboard, there is one option that will not only be lightweight to carry around but will also be feather light on your wallet. Portronics is an Indian tech brand, known for its affordable accessories. One of these accessories is a wireless, Bluetooth keyboard called the Portronics Chicklet. The official price of the Portronics Chicklet is Rs 1,999 but the device is often available under a thousand Rupees with discounts and offers on various platforms.
Foldable, slim, light
The Portronics Chicklet is nothing like your ordinary keyboard in terms of design. It comes in a small, slim box which is big enough for a slightly bigger than usual smartphone or a regular sized e-reader. And that is exactly what slips out of it when you take the device out. You get a really light rectangular plastic slab which is no bigger than a big-ish smartphone these days.
One of its sides has a small Portronics logo near the base while the rest of it is plain. This seemingly boring-looking slab actually holds the keyboard. The Chicklet is a foldable keyboard which means the keyboard gets folded in half and what you get out of the box is the folded version of the device. Unfold the Portronics Chicklet and it reveals the hidden keyboard.
Once you unfold it, the small rectangular slab extends into a full fledged keyboard. The keyboard is divided into two equal halves that are connected together with the help of a band.
The keyboard is divided into two equal halves that are connected together with the help of a band. (Express Photo)
The left side of the keyboard has two small buttons on the top left side– one is a toggle to turn the device on/off while the other is a ‘connect’ button which has to be pressed in order to pair the keyboard with a device. There are two small LED indicators right next to these buttons, one which indicates charging status while the other indicates connection status. Keys are divided between these two sections on the keyboard. Keys from ‘Q’ to ‘T’ (along with some other function keys) are placed on the left half of the keyboard while keys from ‘Y’ to ‘P’ are placed on the right half of the keyboard with the rest of the function keys.
There is a micro USB port on top of the keyboard to charge the device when it runs out of juice.(Express Photo)
Both sides have a small space bar. The Chicklet also has magnets which keep the keyboard closed when folded. There is a micro USB port on top of the keyboard to charge the device when it runs out of juice. The Chicklet is made of plastic and while the build quality does not feel premium, it does not feel cheap either. It weighs about 175 grams, making it even lighter than some of the smartphones around.
Easy pairing process
The keyboard first needs to be paired with the device you want to connect it to. In order to do that, you have to turn the toggle button “on” and then press and hold the ‘connect’ button for two to three seconds. The status LED will start blinking in blue indicating that the Chicklet is ready to pair. You now have to turn on the Bluetooth on your device and make sure the keyboard is in the vicinity. It has a range of about eight to ten meters.
In your Bluetooth settings you will find the Chicklet. Once it appears in your list, tap on it and the keyboard will get paired to your device. It is compatible with MacOS, iOS, Windows and Android devices.
The Chicklet is made of plastic and while the build quality does not feel premium, it does not feel cheap either. It weighs about 175 grams, making it even lighter than some of the smartphones around. (Express Photo)
Portable keyboard with a learning curve:
The Portronics Chicklet is a pretty fun device to use, all thanks to its form factor. Once paired with the device of your choice, the keyboard works well. Even though it has a compact form factor, the keys on the Chicklet are pretty decent in size which means you are unlikely to accidentally tap the wrong key. Just like a regular keyboard, the keys have a nice bounce to them as well. But the biggest star of this Chicklet show is portability. It is hands down the easiest, most portable, Bluetooth keyboard to carry around at this price range. You can just fold it and even shove it into a slightly deep jacket pocket. Pair it with your phone and get the functionality of a real keyboard anywhere.
That said, if you are used to a laptop keyboard or a PC keyboard, the Chicklet will definitely take some getting used to. The steepest learning curve comes in with the dual space bar and the band that joins the two halves of the keyboard. Getting used to the existence of the band is the biggest hurdle you would face with the Chicklet.
If you are used to a laptop keyboard or a PC keyboard, the Chicklet will definitely take some getting used to. (Express Photo)
The keyboard is also quite light weight which is a great thing when it comes to portability but if you are used to hammering away on your keyboard, you would have to let that habit go because on a table like surface with no grip, the keyboard will move a little when you press keys too hard. It has a 180 mAh battery which can be charged quite quickly. The company claims it has battery life of 140+ hours on a single charge which we found to be more or less true.
The Chicklet managed to see a week through on a single charge which is quite impressive. It comes with a sleep mode, which gets activated when you do not use it for more than ten minutes. To start using it, press any key, wait for three seconds, and you are good to go.
A Chicklet for wordsmiths to chew on
While the Portronics Chicklet has an official price of Rs 1,999, the Bluetooth wireless keyboard is often available for less than Rs 1,000 on various platforms. There is a bit of a learning curve with the keyboard and those short of patience are likely to feel unimpressed by it, but it is overall a good option, especially at a discounted price point. It is a perfect device for those who are always on the move and have to draft quick, long mails and messages.
Coming up next week: One cable to charge them all…and send data back and forth too!
Source: indianexpress.com
