Samsung is bringing a physical keyboard to the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+

Samsung has just had their Unpacked event where they released two new phones, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. However, one more item they announced was a new physical keyboard accessory. 

We first heard about the keyboard in a recent leak, but now it is official. Many other companies have tried to make physical keyboards for touch screen smartphones, but nothing so far has really caught on. Samsung is aiming to change that by designing a keyboard that is there when you want it, but gone when you don’t. The way they do this is by making it a keyboard case.

The case itself is a standard S6 Edge+ or Note 5 case with a keyboard attachment. When you plan on typing a lot you attach the keyboard to the front and start typing away. The unique part is when you don’t want it, the keyboard simply pops off and can be attached to the back. This way you can still view your entire screen for media consumption and don’t have to worry about losing the keyboard accessory.

The way the keyboard actually works is also a little different from how previous keyboards have done things. It does not work with Bluetooth, but instead the phone itself recognizes the keyboard has been clipped onto the screen and adjusts the user interface accordingly. Basically, all the elements on the screen will move up towards the top allowing you to see everything even though the keyboard is blocking the bottom half.

The keypresses are also different from how you would expect. When you push down on a key the screen senses which one you pressed and types that letter. This means the keyboard does not need batteries to be powered as it does not actually do anything itself to work. Also, I didn’t hear Samsung mention this, but I would imagine the keyboard comes in different colors to match your phone and the case. As you can see from the picture it will at least come in gold.

This could be a game changer, finally bringing keyboards and smartphones together. The only real question is how well will it work? That is a question we will have to wait to find out.

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