I recently decided to expand my Mechanical Keyboard collections and purchased the new NuPhy Air75 v2 keyboard. I have heard and seen a lot of posts on NuPhy Keyboards and I couldn’t resist any longer and had to try it out for myself. In this post, I am going to take you through the key features and design of the keyboard and give you my thoughts on whether it’s worth buying.
What’s in the box
So what comes in the box when you receive your lovely new NuPhy Air75 v2 keyboard? It comes nice boxed and in the box you get
1 x Air75 V2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard
1 x USB-C to USB-A Cable (1.5 m)
1 x 2.4G Receiver
7 x Extra Keycaps
4 x Extra Switches
1 x Keycap/Switch Puller
1 x Sticker Set
What’s Different from the NuPhy Air75 v1
There are several improvements and additions from the NuPhy Air75 v1 to the Air75 v2 which are listed below.
- More variety of switches available
- Compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux (previously just Windows)
- High 2.4G polling rate
- Larger 4000mAh Battery
- Foldable Feet
NuPhy Keyboard Design
Layout
The NuPhy Air75 V2 has a 75% layout so it suggests the keyboard is a more compact style keyboard compared to your standard keyboard. Although this is a compact keyboard you still have most of the keys you need like function and arrow keys, you will however not have the number pad that you get on a full-size keyboard
Build
The Keyboard is solidly built and has an interesting colour scheme which gives the keyboard a unique and funky look to it. The NuPhy Air75 v2 frame is made out of Aluminium and has a nice minimal look. The bottom is transparent so you can see some of the internal components with a stainless steel-looking plate on the back displaying some of the keyboard info.
I have read in some reviews that the construction feels cheap but I have to say that I don’t share this opinion. I think that the build feels solid which to be fair is what I am looking for.
Lighting
The NuPhy Air75 v2 sports some funky RGB Backlighting but more than just that they have added lights to each side of the keyboard. On the left-hand side of the keyboard, the sidelight shows the connection mode and CAPS lock whilst on side light on the right-hand side indicates the battery.
Connectivity
As seems to be the way with all the keyboards that I own you can connect up to 3 devices to the NuPhy Air75 v2. There are three ways in which you can connect your PC or Laptop
- 2.4GHz (Receiver)
- Bluetooth 5.1
- Wired (USB-C)
I have mainly been using Bluetooth to connect my devices. I connect nice and quickly and to switch between devices you simply press function and 1,2, or 3 to select.
The wired connection is great the cable matches the colour of the keyboard and feels quality and like it will last the test of time. To switch between using Bluetooth and Wired there is a switch at the top of the keyboard that you can toggle.
OS Compatibility
The NuPhy Air75 v2 supports MacOS, Windows and Linux which I love as I use macOS and Windows. At the top of the keyboard, you have the option to choose which OS you are using. So you will be able to use the shortcuts etc. that are specific to the OS you use.
NuPhy Switches
The NuPhy Air75 v2 comes with hot swappable switches which means that you can change up you your switches without the need to do any soldering etc. NuPhy has its own floral lineup of switches that you can choose from
- Aloe (Linear 37gf)
- Cowberry (Linear 45gf)
- Wisteria (Linear 55gf)
- Moss (Tactile 60gf)
As well as the above you can choose between the more regular Gateron switches. I went for the Brown 2.0 Tactile 55gf switch but you also have the option of
- Red 2.0 (Linear 45gf)
- Blue 2.0 (Clicky 65gf)
So NuPhy has catered for all your switch needs here.
Typing Experience & Sound
This for me is the reason that I love and buy mechanical keyboards and the sound when you are typing on this keyboard is just lovely. I went for the brown switches which gives you that nice clicky sound,
In terms of the typing experience I mostly enjoy typing on it and find it comfortable. The only thing that I would point out which takes a little bit of getting used is the size of the enter key. It is smaller than on my other keyboards so I often hit the key next to it. This is a bit annoying but it happens less as you get used to it.
Battery Life
I have had this for a few weeks now and have not had to recharge but then I have used the wired cable so it has charged at the same time. Compared to the Air75 v1 the Air75v2 has a much larger battery at 4000mAh compared to the 2500mAh of its predecessor. This equates to 220hr of battery life.
Price
The NuPhy Air75 v2 starts from $119.95 but will vary depending on what switches you decide to choose. So you are only seeing a $10 increase from the NuPhy Air75 v1, I feel that is not bad at all when you look at the additional features that you get with the NuPhy Air72 v2.
Final Thoughts
This is a really fun mechanical keyboard and I have very much enjoyed using it. the way the keys are designed might take you a little time to get used to but once you do the typing experience is great. It is also priced well and you have plenty of choices to customise whether that be your switches you can also choose from some accessories but that’s for another post 🙂