NuPhy Air96 V2 Low Profile Wireless Mechanical Keyboard

[VSG]

The NuPhy Air96 V2 is a low profile keyboard with 100 dedicated keys and offers hybrid wireless connectivity in a lightweight, portable footprint. It has open-source firmware with QMK/VIA support, plenty of customization with different colors/keycaps/switches, onboard controls, and a long battery life without breaking the bank.

Show full review

 

[Onasi]

Nuphy makes excellent keyboards, stellar build quality and features. They are pretty much perfect boards for almost any size and profile need (the Halo series is great for standard profile). I honestly think that, alongside Akko and arguably Epomaker, they are the most interesting keeb company currently around. Sure, there is Wooting for e-sports crowd and Keychron (though their build quality lately is suspect, IMO) and Leopold if you want something very classic, but I feel like those aren’t as exciting or as good value.

 

[bonehead123]

The NuPhy Air96 V2 is a welcome change from the seemingly endless supply of 75% form factor keyboards that have been reviewed here recently

^^THIS^^ and their wee wee cousins in the 60-65% range too.....just soooo sick of seein those, I almost puke every time I see a PR for yet ANUTHA chopped off toy-ish pos

 

[cellar door]

As an owner of the original air75 - nuphy screwed up large by not redesigning the power button. They cheeped out on this because this way they can keep using the old molds for the upper aluminum plate.

Its by far the worst power button I've ever had to deal with and I'm not alone. It was talked about on their subreddit and many people will tell you the same. Try finding the middle wired setting with it, its a lottery. It's like they used the smallest, vaguest switch in existence with 2mm of travel..

Ironically bluetooth works better then 2.4 on the chipset they used in v1 keebs. They were supposed up upgrade it for v2. Personally I was disappointed with mine, no damping inside(had to add), small battery I had to replace and the the 2.4 wireless was bunk from the start. Firmware updates did nothing.

What they have going for them is the original look but I would go with a different brand.

 

[Sihastru]

I have an Air60 V1 and an Air75 V2. Browns on the 60 and Cowberries on the 75. While I like the sound on the 75, I really dislike that in time some of the keys will begin "freeing" themselves from their hot swap sockets and I would experience every once in a while a distinctive "crunch" when I press them while typing.

Another issue is a firmware one, while I got the NuPhys for their USB dongle, they have some incompatibilities with some laptops (eg. my work issued Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen1) where I cannot enter the BitLocker key because the keyboard would constantly send an ever-repeating ghost keypress signal to it. Both my NuPhys do that, updated them to the most current firmware (which may actually be the part of the issue).

Other than that I have to say that the Cowberries do not feel very consistent to me, perhaps because of the above described issue with the sockets. Next on my list to try/buy would be the Lofree Flow, but man oh man... I have to start selling some of my older keyboards, they are really starting to pile up.

 

[cellar door]

I have an Air60 V1 and an Air75 V2. Browns on the 60 and Cowberries on the 75. While I like the sound on the 75, I really dislike that in time some of the keys will begin "freeing" themselves from their hot swap sockets and I would experience every once in a while a distinctive "crunch" when I press them while typing.

Another issue is a firmware one, while I got the NuPhys for their USB dongle, they have some incompatibilities with some laptops (eg. my work issued Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen1) where I cannot enter the BitLocker key because the keyboard would constantly send an ever-repeating ghost keypress signal to it. Both my NuPhys do that, updated them to the most current firmware (which may actually be the part of the issue).

Other than that I have to say that the Cowberries do not feel very consistent to me, perhaps because of the above described issue with the sockets. Next on my list to try/buy would be the Lofree Flow, but man oh man... I have to start selling some of my older keyboards, they are really starting to pile up.

I shelfed my browns and replaced them with gateron pro red 2.0, and lubed them. Also had the issue with keys not sitting properly and crunching. Less of an issue with these, as they fin more snugly. But my aluminum plate has visible defects on it once you remove keycaps. Honestly even the cheap RK Royal Kludge RK84 that I got for half the price of air75, had much better QC and was a more polished overall product.

 

[Onasi]

@cellar door
Interesting. I have four keyboards from Nuphy at work, three Halos and one TKL AirV1 and none of them have any identifiable QC issues. Halos have Baby Raccoons on them and the Air has Blues.

 

[cellar door]

@cellar door
Interesting. I have four keyboards from Nuphy at work, three Halos and one TKL AirV1 and none of them have any identifiable QC issues. Halos have Baby Raccoons on them and the Air has Blues.

I can post a picture of it here if you wanna see it lol But yeah I still own it, but its far from what I hoped it would be when I was buying it based on their marketing and couple short (probably paid) reviews.

 

[Slacker]

I just got this keyboard about a month ago. Coming from a G915 TKL this things is great. My only gripe is that the layout is condensed so I keep typing in the wrong keys. I just gotta get used to it.

 

[C0mbat]

Hi all, is there a way of mapping the £ and € signs on to the keyboard?