Grandma Reviews the Samsers Mini Keyboard

Published September 18, 2020

I've been testing all sorts of things lately. This Low-Tech Grandma is having a ball. This time around, I decided to try using a portable keyboard. After all, I purchased a min PC and portable monitor, so why not a portable keyboard to complete the trio? The keyboard I'm testing now is the Samsers wireless mini keyboard (Amazon affiliate link).

In the Samsers package, you get the mini keyboard, a USB charging cable, and a portable stand. The adjustable stand is perfect for holding a cell phone in either landscape or portrait position. I think the stand is a nice little bonus.

Samsers Keyboard Size and Portability

When folded, the keyboard is about 6” by 4”. That makes it small enough to fit in a purse. When unfolded it nearly doubles in length to about 12”.

Bluetooth Connectivity

I like the fact that it connects via Bluetooth and that this keyboard does not go into sleep mode frequently. I've had issues with other Bluetooth keyboards where it would constantly go into sleep mode. That becomes frustrating when you're working on a long document.

Samsers Charging and Battery Life

I fully charged the Samsers keyboard before first use. I did not have a chance to use it enough to see how long the battery lasts, but according to the specifications, the battery can last for 48 hours or 560 hours after 2-3 hours of charging.

Samsers Mini Keyboard Features:

The bottom of the keyboard has rubber stops to prevent the keyboard from sliding on a desktop or tabletop surface. What it doesn't have, however, is a locking mechanism to keep the three sections open and in place. Placing this keyboard on a soft surface or on your lap will cause the keyboard to close again.

The keypad is feature-rich. It has all the function keys (F1 through F12), media keys, copy, paste, select, and search. These keys are accessed by pressing fn+ (IOS/Android) and fn+shift (Windows).

The mouse pad panel has three indicator lights: one for battery strength, one for Bluetooth connectivity, and another one for Caps Lock.

If you press the fn key, the arrow keys also double as the Page Up, Down, End, and Home keys. All in all, this is a feature-rich keyboard. It has almost every option you would find on a full-sized keyboard. No, it does not have a numbers pad, but that's understandable with such a small keyboard.

The mousepad has several functions. The functions are invoked depending on whether you use one, two, or three fingers. You can do things like zoom using two fingers, slide up and down using three fingers, and much more. Personally, I don't use the mousepad for such things so I didn't bother learning the techniques. Plus, the mouse features don't seem to work with iPhones.

Ease-of-use (My Opinion)

I very much wanted to like the Samsers mini keyboard. Unfortunately, I had to send it back. As a touch typist, I was having a tough time with the various-sized keys. The keys closest to the edge of the fold are smaller than the rest of the keys. The letters T and V are smaller and so are the letters D and F. I also found that some keys didn't depress easily when I typed. The V and the G are two of the culprits. As a result, I frequently had to slow down and go back to correct the errors.

The other thing I had an issue with was the feel of the keys. The hard plastic is more difficult to type on than a softer silicone or rubberized key. Wanting to make this keyboard work for me, I purchased a plain sheet of silicon (Amazon affiliate link) and placed it on top of the keyboard. It did improve the feel of the keys but it did not improve the accuracy.

I guess if I spent a lot of time working with the keyboard and adjusting the way I type to accommodate the keyboard, it would have worked for me. However, I just didn't have the time. I want my tool to work for me I don't want to change my habits to accommodate the tool.

Unfortunately, I’ve returned the Samsers mini keyboard. I really wanted to like it but this keyboard just did not work for me. It did have a lot of positives, but when you spend a lot of time typing, speed and efficiency are important.

Last Modified: 29 August 2023