Closer Examination

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 is clearly larger with a total of 100 keys and no special gimmicks such as a volume wheel or screen. The space available is filled with switches to where it actually comes quite close to some TKL keyboards in length thanks to the minimal bezels employed by NuPhy. You will notice the keyboard is set up with macOS keycaps by default, and this is why we have the spare keycaps included to help those on Windows platforms. The missing functions on Windows are Scroll Lock, Pause/Break, Insert, and R. Win compared to a traditional 104-key US ANSI keyboard. The other keys are slightly rearranged, especially on the right side of the keyboard, to where all of them are placed in a single bank of keys as opposed to having space between key clusters. As a result, some keycaps are also shorter than usual—we see this a lot in 65/75% keyboards too. I have the "Ionic White" color version here, which looks very clean despite the use of accent color keycaps. The base keycap set employs white and gray colors with black or white used for the keycap legends. The frame is anodized aluminium given a smooth white finish that matches the keycaps very nicely. The keycaps are opaque, so I am glad that NuPhy has at least positioned the legends to be in the middle as opposed to taking up less room on the top for no reason. Secondary legends are above the primary ones and the font used is again clean to where, with the lack of any visible branding in use, this is a viable keyboard for use even in a professional environment. Note also the two cutouts on the top left and right with the slits having plastic diffusers and indicator lights below—a clever use of the available space.


Turning the keyboard around, we see the aluminium frame give way to a translucent frosted white ABS plastic panel. This allows a sneak peek at the PCB and also shows there are some bottom-firing RGB LEDs too. There is a metal badge in the middle with a protective sticker to be peeled off, and we also find five silicone rubber strips at the top and bottom to help add friction against the resting surface. The two on the top are placed on the case feet itself, with NuPhy using two sets of feet for a total of three elevation angles (3.5°/6.5°/8.5°) in use. The feet are relatively long for added stability and also have rubberized bottom surfaces.


Get used to seeing the back side of the keyboard—which normally faces away from the user—often, because NuPhy has decided to have all the connectivity options here. Oh, and the markings associated with these toggle switches are facing down too so you actually need to physically turn the keyboard around to see what's where. This feels like a poor design choice, albeit thankfully not a dealbreaker since you only need to set it up once before each session, and even then the client is likely to automatically connect the next time. There is a physical on/off switch for you to choose between Windows and macOS operation next to another which turns on/off the keyboard, even for wired mode before allowing you to go wireless. The USB Type-C port is on the other end with plenty of room for aftermarket cables if you so desire. The provided cable fits in nicely with the aesthetic of the keyboard though, even if it's a relatively simple cable with a standard TPU sleeve. It's average in length at 1.8 m and goes to an available USB Type-A port on your PC where USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen 1) is recommended for power and data alike.


Here's a look at the keyboard inside the NuFolio case. It feels quite secure despite being technically only held in place via friction. The case latch is secure and makes for a protective-yet-classy way to transport the keyboard around as needed. I'd argue a smaller form factor keyboard is more amenable to this use case though, and NuPhy has other such entries in its low profile Air series of keyboards with matching folio cases.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as low profile and doesn't really benefit from a wrist rest even if you are not used to touch typing with hands hovering over the keys at all times. However, NuPhy does offer several styles of wrist rests for sale to fit the keyboard if you so desire. We also see how the aluminium frame goes the sides and meets the ABS case in the middle. The keycaps are not floating owing to the nature of the case design, and the included keycap puller is useful in removing and/or replacing the keycaps as well as to clean the keyboard. The metal wire keycap puller is also nice in doing its job without the potential of scratching the keycap sides as with plastic ring-style pullers. The stock keycaps follow the trend of other such low profile keyboards in being mostly flat, albeit there is some contouring of the rows and the top surface is slightly sculpted to allow for more convenient typing. These are based off PBT plastic with doubleshot-injected primary and secondary legends on the top for durability and longevity alike. We saw before how they are opaque, so the legends are not going to be lit up at all. There are optional PBT dye-sub keycap sets from NuPhy if you wish to customize the keyboard more to your liking.


The NuPhy Air96 V2 keyboard can be purchased with your pick of seven different low-profile switches covering all three feedback mechanisms—linear, tactile or tactile + clicky. This review sample comes with NuPhy's first-party Cowberry low-profile linear switches which are manufactured by Gateron to NuPhy's specifications, thus explaining the Gateron marking on the switch housing. The switches are installed in a south-facing configuration for increased compatibility with some low profile keycap sets, although that seems already a given with the nature of this keyboard. The larger keycaps use plate-mounted stabilizers which are lubed quite generously—almost too much if you ask me. Thankfully they seem plenty good to actually use, which is the most important thing. Note also the silicone rubber dampening pads under the space bar keycap.


The switch remover tool is handy to remove the hot-swappable switches off the PCB where we see the use of a 3-pin low-profile mechanical switch socket with a switch pad as well as a thicker foam sheet between the plate and the PCB too. There is also an SMD RGB LED associated with each switch to help with lighting. The NuPhy Cowberry is a 3-pin linear switch with a red cross-point stem, walls around for some dust/spill resistance as well as to minimize keycap wobble, a clear top to aid in light going through the switch, and an opaque red bottom housing.


Here is a look at some of the spare keycaps used, especially those helping make this a Windows keyboard. You can also have the Esc and both Enter keycaps be the same color as needed, although the space bar keycap will remain yellow in the absence of provided matching replacement keycaps there. I also found a hardware reset button easily accessible from the front by removing the Caps Lock keycap, as seen above.