Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard Teardown

The product

Product information

Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard is the wireless ultra-thin, spill-resistant, compact keyboard with 76 thin chicklet keys plus 10 functional keys. The latter includes: Play/Pause, Volume up, Volume down, Mute, Previous Track \ Next Track. The keyboard also has a Home key and such keys as Device 1, Device 2, Lock, Search. The connector’s interface is Bluetooth 4.0. The keyboard can be paired with up to 2 devices, including the wearables: iPhone, iPad, Windows phone, Android phone or tablet. Device 1 \ 2 keys help to toggle between the paired devices with a single touch.

5mm thin keyboard
Bluetooth Smart aka Bluetooth 4.0
Up to three months of power on a single charge
Spill-resistant design
Works across iPhone, Android, Windows and Windows Phone 8.1
Can pair with two devices with an easy toggle switch
Magnetic closure
Micro USB charging

Teardown process

List of components:

  1. Aluminum mounting plates
  2. Plastic Folio case with fabric cover
  3. Keyboard membranes
  4. Frame component
  5. Connector (between Keyboard membranes and keycaps)
  6. Hooks
  7. Acrylic keycaps

The tools that I used:

Screwdriver, and utility knife

The keyboard features the water proof keyset and fabric, and it is portable, thin, and light. It’s easy to open with utility knife.

The elements that interest me 

One of my favorite design features is the keyboard membranes that I feel good to press on it, like a stress relieving toy, and this design gives the person pressing the keyboard a great feeling of use. I thought the keyboard membranes were each glued to a steel plate, but they are actually on a whole sticker that can be removed in one piece.

The other design that I like is the spill-resistant design. The sealing design protects the safety of the entire keyboard in addition to making the product appear lighter and thinner overall.

Funny thing that I found:

I saw the date written in Chinese on the aluminum mounting plate: May 26, 2015

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