The USB-C Port
Although I’m not holding my breath that we’ll ever see a Smart Connector charging dock like the Logi Base for the newer iPad Pro models, the Magic Keyboard actually sort of fulfills this purpose as well; thanks to its built-in USB-C charging port, you can leave the Magic Keyboard on a desk or side table and use it as a docking station to recharge your iPad Pro even when you don’t need to use the keyboard itself. It’s not the most elegant design, since the keyboard will be sitting there open, but it works.
To be clear, the USB-C port is not there to charge the keyboard — as I mentioned earlier, the keyboard draws all of its power from the iPad Pro via the Smart Connector. The sole purpose of the USB-C port is to allow you to power the iPad Pro while you’re using it in a way that’s both unobtrusive (the cable attaches at the rear corner of the keyboard, instead of hanging off the side of the iPad Pro), and leaves your main USB-C port free for other accessories.
One point that is important to note, however, is that the USB-C port on the Magic Keyboard works only for powering/charging the iPad Pro. It doesn’t pass through any kind of data connection, so you won’t be able to use other accessories with it like USB storage devices, or use it to sync with your Mac — you’ll still need to use the main USB-C port for that.