MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene review

REVIEW – I sold my Macbook and went all in using an iPad Pro 11″ as my main machine. It’s been a good transition, often causing me to come up with some creative ways to re-do my workflow. I love the portability and “spontaneous-ness” of using the iPad. Still, often I’m concerned about scratching or minor damage when using it as a tablet, when not connected to a stand or keyboard case. The other thing I needed to address is the constant detaching of my Apple Pencil when in my bag. How well did the MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Cover with Graphene help me address these issues? Pretty well actually, read on to find out why.

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $44.99
Where to buy: MAGEASY and Amazon

What is it?

The MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene is a slim case for iPad that provides some protection, includes a pencil holder, and uses magnetics to attach to other magnetic iPad products like folio covers and keyboard cases.

What’s included?

• MAGEASY Cover Buddy case
• Cleaning cloth

Tech Specs

• Graphene Thermal Technology
• Smart Connector
• Supports Apple Pencil charging
• Dimensions: 285.8 x 221.5 x 9.4 mm
• Weight: 158 g

NOTE: **It is not recommended to apply a screen protector on the iPad Pro 11″/13″ (M4) while pairing with the CoverBuddy and the Magic Keyboard.**

Design and features

The MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene helps solve two inconveniences when using an iPad. The first is help keeping the Apple Pencil attached (and charging) and the second is some minimal protection against rough surfaces.

One of the main reasons I switched from a laptop to an iPad was portability. With a built-in cellular plan, my iPad is connected almost all of the time. With that portability comes carrying it around in a backpack or sleeve. In my experience, the pencil always ends up at the bottom of my bag or gets disconnected while carrying it. Having the cutout on the MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene to hold the pencil is perfect. My pencil hasn’t ever disconnected during the time I’ve tested and the remove the pencil, there is a handy hole to push the pencil out.

When connected to the Magic Keyboard or the Nomad iPad Case, the iPad’s sides are exposed. The MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene protects three sides with only the edge facing the hinge or crease uncovered. Usually, I would set my iPad on a table or other flat surface, but was always leery about scratching the back of my iPad, I wanted some protection against minor surface scratches and this case does that very well.

MAGEASY did send both the black and the white CoverBuddy cases for review. Both look premium and have a texture to them that doesn’t make my iPad feel slippery. This latest edition has “Graphene Thermal Technology” that “ensures efficient heat dissipation”, according to the product documentation from MAGEASY. I can’t measure this but it certainly can’t hurt. For comparison, my wife has been using the previous edition of the CoverBuddy on her iPad and I’ve never noticed it feeling hot. The magnets are strong and always line up perfectly with other magnetic accessories for the M4 model (the magnets are placed a little differently from previous Pro and Air models).

There are a couple of things to note, though. The MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene is not designed for drop protection. The case is made of thick plastic and will most likely only save your iPad from small surface touches. It’s better than nothing, but understand what this product provides. Also, the extra width of the case to allow for the pencil holder may not work with all folios that have a flap. Granted, with the CoverBuddy, you don’t need a folio cover with a pencil strap. For example, my previously reviewed Nomad Leather iPad Case flap will close, but it takes a little stretching to get it to stay in place.

The other drawback for me, and it’s a big one, is that when using the Apple Magic Keyboard, the buffer between the screen and the keys is severely reduced when using the CoverBuddy with the Magic Keyboard. MAGEASY does not recommend using a screen protector in this scenario. I’m not using a screen protector (yet) and I did hear what sounds like the screen touching the keys when using the CoverBuddy with the Magic Keyboard. I do not hear the same sound without the CoverBuddy. To be fair, I haven’t seen any negative effects of this, but wanted to call it out. 

Assembly, Installation, Setup

To use the MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene, simply snap the iPad into the case. If using the Magic Keyboard, the Smart Connector pins line up perfectly and the iPad with case can be directly attached to the keyboard. The process is the same when attaching to other magnetic cases.

The pencil still lines up and magnetically attaches to the iPad, the case keeps it from disconnecting.

Final thoughts

I was looking for something to keep my Apple Pencil in place and for some minimal protection against rough or dirty surfaces when detached from the Magic Keyboard. The MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene provided a solution to both things I was looking for. Both the black and white options look and feel premium. I think the black case shows fingerprints and smudges a little more and dirt will show more easily on the white case. I like the look of the white case with my space-black iPad and black Magic Keyboard. And the black case goes well when paired with the Nomad Leather case.

As mentioned a few times above, if you have a screen protector on your M4 iPad Pro, you should not use the MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene with the Magic keyboard.

What I like about the MAGEASY CoverBuddy Magnetic iPad Case with Graphene

• holds and allows for Apple Pencil charging
• some minimal protection from scratches, etc
• texture looks premium

What needs to be improved?

• not great for drop protection
• not recommended to use a screen protector when paired with the Magic Keyboard
• black color shows smudges
• white color will show dirt more easily

Price: $44.99
Where to buy: MAGEASY and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by MAGEASY. MAGEASY did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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• Nomad iPad Pro Leather Folio review
• Pitaka MagEZ Case 2 and Folio 2 for iPad Pro (2024) review

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