Yosi—October 8, 2024
The NuPhy Air96 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard known for its sleek design, portability, and solid performance. Here’s a detailed review based on common features users have highlighted: Design & Build Quality • Slim & Lightweight: The Air96 has an ultra-thin chassis, which makes it one of the thinnest mechanical keyboards available. Its low-profile design is appealing to those who want a modern, minimal aesthetic. • Materials: The frame is made of a combination of aluminum and plastic, offering a lightweight feel while maintaining durability. • Keycaps: The Air96 features low-profile PBT keycaps, which are known for their durability and resistance to wear over time. The keycaps have a good texture, and legends are usually sharp and clear. Switch Options • The Air96 offers low-profile Gateron mechanical switches, which come in different variants like red (linear), brown (tactile), and blue (clicky). These switches are much shorter than standard switches, offering a faster actuation, making typing or gaming feel more responsive. • Users often appreciate the smoothness of the Gateron low-profile red switches for fast and quiet typing or gaming. Typing Experience • Low Travel Distance: Being a low-profile keyboard, the Air96 has a shorter travel distance compared to traditional mechanical keyboards. This gives it a laptop-like typing experience, but with the tactility and responsiveness of mechanical switches. • Comfort: Its ergonomic design and low profile help reduce strain on the wrists, especially for extended typing sessions. Connectivity & Compatibility • The keyboard offers both wired (USB-C) and wireless (Bluetooth 5.0) options. You can easily switch between multiple devices, making it a versatile choice for users who work across different platforms. • It supports multi-device pairing, which is convenient for switching between, for instance, a PC, tablet, and phone. • Battery Life: With wireless use, the Air96 offers decent battery life, lasting up to a few weeks on a single charge, depending on the backlighting usage. Backlighting • The Air96 features RGB backlighting with various customization options. It can sync with the typing patterns, and users can adjust the brightness or choose from a variety of effects. • The backlighting on the Air96 is not as bright as some thicker mechanical keyboards due to its low-profile design, but it’s still functional in darker environments. Performance • The keyboard offers a very responsive typing experience, especially in gaming. The low-profile switches reduce the actuation force and travel distance, resulting in faster response times. • Users find the wireless connection reliable, with minimal latency during typing or casual gaming. Pros • Sleek, slim design with premium materials • Comfortable low-profile typing experience • Wireless and multi-device support • Solid battery life • Responsive low-profile mechanical switches Cons • RGB backlighting is not as bright compared to standard mechanical keyboards • Might not be ideal for users who prefer the deeper key travel of traditional mechanical keyboards • Lacks advanced features like hot-swappable switches Conclusion The NuPhy Air96 is an excellent choice for those looking for a slim, portable mechanical keyboard with a good balance of performance and aesthetics. Its combination of low-profile design and mechanical switch feel makes it suitable for both typists and casual gamers, though those looking for a more traditional mechanical experience may miss the deeper key travel. Read more
Mowrind—November 3, 2025
This little thing has exceeded my expectations! I did a lot of AI assisted research before buying, and expected to have to accept the default combo-key device switching. To my surprise, once I came to understand how to connect and work the VIA web app, I found the keycodes for device 1 and device 2 and simply assigned them to a couple of rarely used keys (in Windows, you do this in Layer 2. Depending on what keys you assign, you can probably give them their original assignments in Layer 3, which is the Fn layer). Presto! One press device switching. I also expected to have bluetooth connection problems and have to flash the bios to the March 2025 version. So far, this has not been necessary. It looked like a pretty complex process, so I'm hoping I continue to not need it. Most of all, though, I didn't expect to immediately love how the keys feel. I am coming from an MX Keys whose battery died finally after years and years. For a replacement, I wanted smaller footprint, keys that say "Alt" like they're supposed to in Windows, and device switching at least as good as the MX. Success on all those, and the feel is really lovely. Sound is unexpectedly satisfying as well. It just feels really high quality and my fingers land well and feel confident. I got the brown switches. I don't really need backlighting at all, so I have set to a solid gentle color, doing a slow breathe. I also assigned the battery check to Fn+B. Not hard to remember. For those lamenting the lack of an Insert key, it actually comes with an Insert key cap. You can use Via to assign Insert to something and then give it that keycap. You would have to sacrifice a key to do that, though. But, if you really need Insert, it is assigned to Fn+Delete in Via. At least mine was. But you can always set it that way if you like, or give it to Fn+Home. I should clarify that the device switching keycodes are under Custom in VIA. And the original key assignments persist. So you can assign them other keys but the original Fn+1, Fn+2, etc. are still there. These are not the F keys in the F1, F2, etc. row, by the way. They are the numbers above Q and W. As you can see from the length of this review, I'm looking for excuses to just keep typing away on this thing. I'm sure that will pass, but it really is a delight. Read more
phoenixrises—January 14, 2025
Easily one of the most enjoyable mechanicals I've ever used. Pros: The low profile and moss switches are *phenomenal*. Smooth keypresses, but with enough feedback and required force to avoid a lot of miskeyed strokes. Great portability, fits comfortably in a travel bag. Bluetooth is solidly responsive, no connection issues. This is a full keyboard, with every key you're going to need (except Ctrl+Break), which is easily and acceptably dealt with by... Programability is simple and easy. Adding Ctrl +Break is mostly intuitive, the key is dependably interpreted by the o/s. Battery life is stellar. It'll last you at least a week between charges, using it as a daily driver. The variety of customization of light up for keypresses is fun, if not strictly speaking necessary. Build quality is solid-this can go in the bag of other accessories easily and without worry. Cons: It's is every key you'd ever want, and it's portable, however, I wish Nuphy had put in just a little space to separate sections. A quarter of an inch to separate F keys row (and the home/end/pgup/pgdn keys), and again with the number pad, would make this perfect without sacrificing portability. It is by no means a deal breaker, though, if you struggle to be accurate at speed without those gaps between sections of a keyboard, this might be an issue. The key covers themselves don't really shine through, and I wouldn't count of them for full night time typing if you need references. Read more
