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| (Image: © Future) |
The NuPhy Air75 V2 has excellent appearance, acoustics, and typing. Despite its small form, it boasts an unusually big battery and strong levels of connection. We experienced a few small problems, the most significant of which was a macOS freezing issue that resolved itself but left us uneasy. But all in all, this is a beautiful board.
When you start drawing analogies between keyboards and crushes, you're clearly a nerd. I got a few butterflies in my stomach as I opened the NuPhy Air75 V2, and I'm not afraid to say that. This charming 75% mechanical keyboard, which replaces the similarly lovely Air75 V1, is just my style: it's small, uncluttered without being uninteresting, and has low profile PBT keycaps for comfortable typing.
To be honest, there were a couple of issues that almost made me feel uneasy. Specifically, there were some glitches on macOS, which is unfortunate for a $119 board.All things considered, the NuPhy Air75 V2 is a really nice keyboard and could be the greatest mechanical keyboard you can have. Read our comprehensive NuPhy Air75 V2 review to learn more.
NuPhy Air75 V2: Unpacking the Ups
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| (Image credit: Future) |
A minimalist, low-profile keyboard with highly configurable RGB illumination is the NuPhy Air75 V2. It has excellent typing and sound quality, as well as high polling rates for players. There are many of connectivity possibilities and a respectable battery life. This board is very excellent.
Styling & Build of NuPhy Air75 V2
Though, of course, appearances are subjective, my favorite topic is the Air75 V2. If a keyboard doesn't push minimalism too far, like the Logitech MX Mechanical Mini did, I'm a huge lover of subtle keyboards.
I adore how the monochromatic white and gray keycaps are complemented by little pops of color from the RGB illumination (which is covered in a separate part later), the status LEDs, and the choice keys. In addition, NuPhy includes an adorable cat key among the other keycaps in the package. The Air75 V2 has a humorous side despite its sleek appearance.
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| (Image credit: Future) |
The build quality is superb. The board doesn't feel cheap or sound hollow because the upper case is constructed of metal, all of the polymers used are of good quality, and there are many layers of insulation inside the board. The bottom casing has a metal plate that resembles a supercar's "handmade by..." plaque, and I like it. If you examine attentively, you will notice that the plaque truly states "made in China."
NuPhy Air75 V2: Size & Weight Overview
My keyboards can't be heavy to transport because I commute. The Air75 V2 is inherently small because it is a 75% board, and the low profile keycaps keep the board from being too deep and keep objects from getting tangled in the caps during shipping. Like the Keychron V6 I previously examined, the Air75 V2 was easy to transport home at under 21 ounces (600g).
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| (Image credit: Future) |
The foot and grip strips of the Air75 V2 are positioned and made to fit over a laptop's keyboard without coming into contact with the trackpad or keys. This implies that when working in a small place, additional table space is not necessary. Although they say it will work with most laptops, NuPhy notes that the Air75 V2 has been tested on and fits over most MacBooks and a wide variety of Windows PCs (this figures as laptops often utilize a 75% layout like the Air75 V2). The NuPhy website has a comprehensive list of laptops that have been confirmed.
NuPhy Air75 V2: Typing & Performance Analysis
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| (Image credit: Future) |
Because of its low profile concave keycaps, which lessen the possibility of pressing the erroneous key during rapid use, the NuPhy Air75 V2 is an absolute pleasure to type on.
| Keyboard | Duration | Words per Minute (WPM) | Typing Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| NuPhy Air75 V2 | 1 hour | 68 | 78.96% |
| NuPhy Air75 V2 | 3 hours | 79 | 89.37% |
| Pete’s Rolling Average (all keyboards) | 81 WPM / 87.58% | ||
It took me a little while to get acclimated to the Air75 V2, since after an hour of use (using the 10fastfingers.com typing test), my WPM and typing accuracy were both much lower than my rolling average. However, I was back to slightly below average speed and accuracy after three hours.
| Keyboard | Words per Minute (WPM) | Typing Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| NuPhy Air75 V2 (1 week) | 86 | 92.44% |
| Keychron V6 | 84 | 87.82% |
| Keychron K2 V2 | 74 | 80.30% |
| Apple Magic Keyboard | 85 | 89.50% |
| Pete’s Rolling Average (all keyboards) | 81 | 87.58% |
I was hitting my highest performance ever at 86 WPM and over 92% accuracy after a week of utilizing the board.
But the Air75 V2 isn't limited to the workplace. It polls at 1,000 Hz in 2.4G or wired modes, which is more than fast enough for gaming. When I play Hell Let Loose on my PC, there is no latency or performance problems even when this is set to 125Hz in Bluetooth mode.
NuPhy Air75 V2 Sound: Review & Analysis
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| (Image credit: Future) |
The Air75 V2 has many layers of internal insulation and a robust plastic and aluminum construction, which together provide a pleasingly attenuated sound. This makes the board a good option for office use, particularly if you choose quiet switches like the red Gateron switches that we looked at.
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| (Image credit: Future) |
Since this is a hot swappable board, you can adjust the sound using the switches and keycaps that sound the best for you.
NuPhy Air75 V2 RGB Lighting: Features & Review
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| (Image credit: Future) |
The RGB lighting on the NuPhy Air75 V2 is a unique feature. The lighting isn't overly gaudy, even when it's brightest and in unicorn puke mode, which goes well with the board's minimalist design. Numerous RGB patterns are available for selection, each of which may be precisely adjusted in terms of color, brightness, and speed.
NuPhy Air75 V2 Connectivity: Review & Analysis
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| (Image credit: Future) |
On the Air75 V2, there are several connectivity choices. In addition to a fourth 2.4G Wi-Fi channel, there are three Bluetooth 5.1 channels. Unlike the Epomaker TH80 Pro, the 2.4G dongle is not neatly inserted into the bottom casing of the keyboard; instead, it is attached to a holder that clamps into the supplied cable.
NuPhy Air75 V2 Battery Life: Performance Overview
Considering the NuPhy Air75 V2's small size and low profile, its huge 4,000mAh battery is amazing. The battery in the somewhat larger Epomaker TH80 Pro has the same rating as this one, and it is significantly bigger than the 1,500mAh battery in the correspondingly sized Logitech MX Mechanical Mini.
NuPhy rates the battery as 220 hours without RGB. With the backlight on, I've been using the Air75 V2 nonstop for work and gaming for more than a week, and I still haven't reached 10%.
Although the Epomaker TH80 Pro uses its RGB to show a battery bar, which lets you to see more precisely how much power is left, I much like how the right-hand status display can be toggled to constantly indicate approximate battery status (green, amber, red).
NUPHY AIR75 V2: Unveiling the Downsides
As I previously stated, I was completely enamored with the Air75 V2, and in fact, aside from a few little irritations, there isn't anything wrong with the keyboard. But my test model turned out to have a very annoying bug that compromised its dependability as a functional keyboard.
NUPHY AIR75 V2 macOS Freezing Issue: Review
I encountered a glitch during testing where the keyboard would randomly and totally stop in between and, more frustratingly, during keystrokes. As you can imagine, this is incredibly terrible when you're trying to enter several hundred tab spaces into an essay. The battery was at capacity, reconnecting and re-pairing didn't help, and it seemed to be happening on different Bluetooth channels.
I had no trouble utilizing the board for a full weekend of Windows gaming; this was exclusive to macOS. The problem ceased just as I was about to flash the firmware, which NuPhy makes very clear should only be used as a last option. My trust in the Air75 V2's long-term dependability was damaged by this incidence, especially while using it as a professional keyboard. It hasn't returned.
It was also quite difficult for me to switch between Bluetooth channels. It is disheartening to see such flaws on a high-end $119 keyboard.
NUPHY AIR75 V2 Height Adjustment: Analysis & Limitations
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| (Image credit: Future) |
My second small complaint with the Air75 V2 is that it doesn't have a maximum height. There are two height adjustment options on the board, but the highest one didn't seem to tilt the keys as much as I would have liked. As previously shown, this had no effect on my typing speed, but in my opinion, extended writing sessions could make the board a bit uncomfortable.
NUPHY AIR75 V2: Software Integration Review
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| (Image credit: VIA / Tom's Guide) |
Since the Air75 V2 is a QMK/VIA enabled board, it may be modified with the open-source VIA application. All is not lost, though, as the program works really well for key remapping, macros, and RGB fine-tuning. Moreover, it operates in a browser, negating the need for suspicious downloads.
But VIA is really shaky. The web app can be finicky about which browsers it opens in, and it can occasionally have trouble recognizing boards. The JSON code for the keyboard can be downloaded from NuPhy, and you'll need to follow their loading instructions to get the Air75 V2 operating. It's not a very complicated procedure, but it isn't particularly easy.
NUPHY AIR75 V2: Final Thoughts and Verdict
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| (Image credit: Future) |
If you're looking for a low profile, hot swappable mechanical keyboard that's portable, beautiful to type on and play games on, and looks excellent on your desk (or on top of your laptop keyboard), the NuPhy Air75 V2 is a fantastic option. Although it's not the cheapest board available, you won't have to pawn your kidney in order to obtain one.
But if our experience is any indication, you might have to brace yourself for a little jankiness, which is a shame because this keyboard is otherwise excellent.