The Halo96/Halo75 V2 are wireless mechanical keyboards that continue NuPhy's Halo lineup. These updated models maintain the approach of their predecessors, the NuPhy Halo96 [Halo65, Halo75] keyboards, featuring a standard high-profile design, a range of expressive color options, and a signature RGB lighting strip or 'halo' around their entire edge. Now, these edges are semi-transparent plastic, allowing significantly more light to shine out. Other upgrades include a higher maximum polling rate of 1000Hz that provides significantly better raw gaming performance and support for VIA software and QMK firmware for more in-depth customization.
We bought and tested the compact (96%) NuPhy Halo96 V2 with NuPhy Mint switches, but other size and configuration options are available. For more details, see the Differences Between Sizes and Variants section below.
Our Verdict
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards are great for gaming. They have excellent build quality and latency performance that is suitable for playing casual or competitive titles in nearly all genres. However, they don't quite compete as well for rhythm games specifically. Furthermore, it's worth noting the latency performance is a bit inconsistent overall. That said, this inconsistency isn't noticeable at all in-game and is only an issue if you're interested in playing at a highly competitive level. These keyboards also have full RGB lighting that you can customize along with other settings using the configuration software. Just note that the legends aren't visible in darker rooms, as the stock keycaps lack shine-through legends.
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Excellent build quality.
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Excellent all-around latency performance for nearly all game genres.
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Bright and more extensive RGB lighting compared to most dedicated gaming keyboards.
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South-facing RGB means you can't read legends in darker rooms with the stock keycaps.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards have excellent build quality. Their gasket-mount design and layers of sound-dampening material lend a soft-feeling and fairly quiet typing experience. They connect wirelessly via an included USB receiver or Bluetooth, which also supports pairing with up to three devices simultaneously. That said, their fairly tall profile means they're most comfortable to use with a wrist rest. Unfortunately, there isn't a wrist rest included, though NuPhy sells them separately on their website.
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Excellent build quality.
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Excellent typing quality.
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Supports Bluetooth connectivity and multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously.
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South-facing RGB means you can't read legends in darker rooms with the stock keycaps.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards are alright for mobile and tablet use. They have excellent build quality and support Bluetooth connectivity with up to three devices simultaneously. Their standout weakness is that they're quite bulky and heavy compared to dedicated mobile keyboards designed for portability.
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Excellent build quality.
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Supports Bluetooth connectivity and multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously.
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Bulky, heavy, and high-profile; not designed with portability in mind.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards are great for programming. They have excellent build quality, and their gasket mount design and layers of acoustic material inside the case produce a soft, high-quality typing experience. They connect wirelessly, either with a 2.4GHz receiver or via Bluetooth, with up to three devices simultaneously. They also have impressive RGB lighting, although the stock keycaps don't have shine-through legends, so you can't read them in darker rooms. They also have a high-profile design that's most comfortable to type on with a wrist rest. Unfortunately, there isn't a wrist rest included, but NuPhy does sell them separately.
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Excellent build quality.
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Excellent typing quality.
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VIA/QMK support for in-depth customization.
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South-facing RGB means you can't read legends in darker rooms with the stock keycaps.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards are a middling option for an entertainment or home theater setup. On the one hand, they have excellent build quality and support multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously. They also have full RGB backlighting. Unfortunately, the LEDs are south-facing, and the stock keycaps don't have shine-through legends, so it's hard to read legends in darker rooms. They also lack dedicated media keys and are much bulkier and heavier than more portability-focused keyboards.
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Excellent build quality.
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Supports Bluetooth connectivity and multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously.
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Bulky, heavy, and high-profile; not designed with portability in mind.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards have impressive raw performance making them more than suitable for playing casual or competitive games in most genres. They have a 1000Hz polling rate that isn't bottlenecked by other latency components. They also have excellent single- and multi-key latency. However, the latency performance is marginally inconsistent compared to most dedicated gaming models. To be clear, you aren't able to notice any inconsistency while gaming, and it only has the potential to impact performance if you play at an extremely high competitive level. Unfortunately, their chord split performance is only satisfactory, so they aren't ideal for playing rhythm games or other titles with many simultaneous inputs.
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Excellent all-around latency performance for nearly all game genres.
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1000Hz polling that isn't bottlenecked by other latency components.
- 8.3 Gaming
- 8.0 Office
- 6.7 Mobile/Tablet
- 8.0 Programming
- 5.8 Entertainment / HTPC
- 8.4 Raw Performance
- Updated Aug 02, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Jul 26, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Jul 18, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jul 04, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jun 11, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
NuPhy's Halo V2 series keyboards are available in several color options, with various switch options, and two size variants at the time of writing. We bought and tested the NuPhy Halo96 V2 in the Mojito colorway with NuPhy Mint switches. You can see the label for our unit here.
| Name | Size | Color Options | Switch Options | Advertised Battery Life |
| NuPhy Halo96 V2 | Compact (96%) | Obsidian Black, Ionic White, Mojito, Blue Lagoon, Sakura Fizz |
NuPhy Mint, NuPhy Raspberry, NuPhy Lemon Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top |
All backlighting on: 6~90 Hrs |
| NuPhy Halo75 V2 | Compact (75%) | Obsidian Black, Ionic White, Mojito, Blue Lagoon, Sakura Fizz | NuPhy Mint, NuPhy Raspberry, NuPhy Lemon Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top |
All backlighting on: 9~91 hours Only homing bars on: 140~200 hours All backlighting off: Up to 307 hours |
Compared To Other Keyboards
The Halo96/Halo 75 V2 keyboards continue NuPhy's lineup of Halo mechanical keyboards and make several upgrades over their first generation NuPhy Halo96 [Halo65, Halo75] models. They maintain the high-profile design that sets them apart from NuPhy's low-profile Air V2 series. These new models have a gasket mount design and more acoustic material that lends a softer, somewhat springy typing quality. They're also available in several new colorways, and the bottom cases are now semi-transparent to allow more light to shine out from their signature halo lighting strips that wrap around the edges. Additionally, these keyboards now support a maximum polling rate of 1000Hz, making them a much more viable option for gaming.
Altogether, these keyboards are competitive upper mid-range options with a standout build quality and typing experience out of the box. They're similar to mechanical keyboards like the Keychron V Max or the more premium Keychron Q Max series, but they have significantly more impressive RGB lighting.
For more recommendations, see our picks for the best mechanical keyboards, the best wireless keyboards, and the best RGB keyboards.
The NuPhy Air96 V2 and the NuPhy Halo96 V2 are wireless mechanical keyboards that each belong to wider lineups with different size variants available. The major difference between the two lineups is their profile, with the Air series being thin, low-profile models that are much more portable while the Halo models have high profiles with more of an emphasis on RGB lighting. The Halo boards also have slightly better performance, making them a bit better suited for gaming overall.
The Keychron V5 Max and the NuPhy Halo96 V2 are both wireless mechanical keyboards with a compact 96% form factor. Both keyboards belong to wider lineups with other size variants available, though the Keychron lineup is much larger with more size variants. The NuPhy keyboards have more of a focus on RGB lighting, with a strip or 'halo' of RGB lighting that wraps around their outer edge. On the other hand, the Keychrons have more of an emphasis on hardware customizability and slightly better and more consistent latency performance, making them a better choice for competitive gaming.
The Keychron Q5 Max and the NuPhy Halo96 V2 are wireless mechanical keyboards with a compact 96% form factor. Each also belongs to a wider lineup with other size variants available, though the Keychron lineup is significantly larger with more sizes available. The NuPhy keyboards have more of a focus on RGB lighting and have a strip or 'halo' of RGB lighting that wraps around their outer edge. They have comparatively more lightweight aluminum top case designs with a semi-transparent plastic bottom case that allows more RGB light to shine out. Comparatively, the Keychron keyboards provide a bit more in the way of hardware customizability and include a kit for disassembly. They also have somewhat better latency performance and significantly heavier solid aluminum case designs.
The NuPhy Halo96 V2 is an updated version of the original NuPhy Halo96. These are mechanical keyboards that belong to wider lineups with other size variants available. They have high-profile designs and an emphasis on RGB lighting, with a wraparound strip or 'halo' of lighting. The newer V2 models are available in a wider range of colors and have better overall performance, making them more suitable for gaming. They also have new translucent bottom case designs that allow more of the 'halo' RGB lighting to shine out.
The NuPhy Halo75 V2 and the Logitech G715 are wireless mechanical keyboards with comparable raw performance. The NuPhy has greater customizability and features an RGB strip or 'halo' that wraps around the keyboard. Its bottom case is also semi-transparent, which allows comparatively more light out. On the other hand, the Logitech has an 'underglow' RGB strip around the outside edge that primarily casts light downwards onto your desk, producing a similar effect. The Logitech also has shine-through keycaps, which the NuPhy lacks, as well as dedicated media keys and a volume wheel. Lastly, the Logitech comes with a cloud-shaped wrist rest while the NuPhy only has wrist rests available for a separate purchase.
Test Results
These keyboards are currently available in two sizes. We bought and tested the NuPhy Halo96 V2, which has a compact 96% form factor. It has nearly all the same keys as a full-size keyboard but eliminates the space between key clusters. While this makes it a bit more compact than conventional full-size keyboards, it's still quite a large and bulky, high-profile keyboard that isn't very portable.
A smaller compact (75%) Halo75 V2 is also available, but it lacks a numpad and takes up considerably less desk space. You can reference the dimensions of this variant on NuPhy's website.
These keyboards have excellent build quality and feel very sturdy with only minimal deck flex. They have an aluminum top case, a POM plate, and a semi-transparent plastic bottom case that allows the 'halo' RGB lighting to shine out.
A set of flip-out feet on the underside keep the board firmly in place on your desk.
There's only minor key wobble while typing, and the stabilizers do a good job of keeping larger keys steady. The switches and stabilizers are both pre-lubed from the factory and feel very smooth and consistent.
The keycaps are made of doubleshot PBT plastic, and the spacebar is what NuPhy calls a 'GhostBar,' which incorporates polycarbonate and silicone pieces that help minimize rattle and dampen noise. You can see an image of this spacebar here.
There are also several layers of case foam and a bottom layer of silicone that help round out the overall sound profile.
We noted during testing that the powder-coated aluminum case was fairly easy to accidentally leave marks on with metal tools, such as the included keycap/switch puller. However, these marks aren't permanent and can be cleaned. It's possible that darker colorways may be more resistant to marking.
These keyboards have a standard, high-profile design. There are flip-out plastic feet that provide two additional incline options. We recommend using these keyboards with a wrist rest for the most comfortable experience.
NuPhy sells wrist rests on their website, which are available as an extra purchase, including wood-finish rests or color-matched acrylic options that allow the 'halo' RGB lighting on the front edge of the keyboard to shine through.
We purchased an acrylic rest when we reviewed the previous-generation NuPhy Halo 96. The acrylic wrist rest isn't generally as comfortable as the plush wrist rests we've tested, but it provides substantial support for your wrists.
These keyboards allow for outstanding hardware customizability. The PCBs are hot-swappable, so you can change the stock switches for any 5-pin or 3-pin switches of your choosing. The stabilizers are plate-mounted but easily accessible, and the right-side modifier keys are standard 1.25u-sized.
Note that the LEDs are south-facing. This provides better compatibility for third-party keycaps but also significantly impacts backlighting if you use standard shine-through keycaps which are typically designed for north-facing RGB.
NuPhy does sell a keycap set on their site called Canopus, which has south-facing shine-through legends.
The NuPhy Halo96 V2 and Halo 75 V2 keyboards have full RGB backlighting with individually lit keys. You can customize the brightness and effects with hotkeys directly on the keyboards or with VIA configuration software.
These keyboards prominently feature a thick RGB lighting strip that NuPhy refers to as 'halo' lighting, which wraps around all four edges of the keyboard's bottom case. We've taken several photos to demonstrate this lighting below.
- Room lights on, maximum brightness
- Room lights off, maximum brightness
- Room lights off, minimum brightness
- Video example of an RGB effect
The stock keycaps have several shine-through homing bars designed to help orient your hand placement and identify keys in darker rooms when you can't read the legends. These homing bars are on the F and J keys as well as the Up arrow, and the 5 key on the numpad.
The backlighting on these keyboards is quite bright, and the translucent bottom case design lets out a substantial amount of light. That said, the clarity is poor as the stock keycaps are opaque and lack shine-through legends. Be aware that the LEDs are also south-facing, which limits the amount of light that will travel through most shine-through keycap sets, which tend to have north-facing legends. For reference, we've taken a photo with the W, A, S, and D keys replaced with standard shine-through keycaps taken from another keyboard. NuPhy does sell a set of keycaps with shine-through legends designed for south-facing LEDs. See the Hardware Customizability section above for more details.
We purchased the NuPhy Halo96 V2 with NuPhy Mint switches, which matched with the Mojito colorway and lent a noticeably green hue to the lighting as seen in the above photos which are set to white-only lighting.
There were extra sample switches included (1x each of NuPhy Rasbperry, NuPhy Lemon, and NuPhy Mint) in the box, and we took photos with these switches installed so you can compare the effect on lighting with each: LEDs only, sample switches, and sample switches with keycaps.
NuPhy also included several transparent Mojito Crystal keycaps in our box, which may have been a pre-order bonus but are typically available as a separate purchase. For reference, you can see an image with these Mojito Crystal keycaps at maximum brightness setting here and minimum brightness here.
These keyboards come with a detachable charging cable made of silicon. It's fairly stiff and retains some kinks from its packaging.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo 75 V2 both have a 4000mAh battery. NuPhy advertises the following battery life estimates:
Halo96 V2
- All backlighting on: 6~90 hours
- Only homing bar backlighting: 89~140 hours
- All backlighting off: Up to 307 hours
Halo75 V2
- All backlighting on: 9~91 hours
- Only homing bar backlighting: 140~200 hours
- All backlighting off: Up to 307 hours
We expect the range of 'all backlighting on' numbers to be with maximum and minimum brightness, respectively.
These keyboards lack dedicated macro keys, but you can set macros to any key using the configuration software.
This keyboard has two switches on the top of the keyboard (pictured above). One switch allows you to change between Windows or Mac compatibility modes, and the other toggles between connection modes. There's also a compartment for storing the USB receiver on the top edge. There's a silicon plug included that you can insert to cover the compartment when not storing the receiver. Note that the receiver doesn't insert flush into this compartment but sticks out a bit.
There's an RGB light bar on the top left corner that indicates battery life, connection mode, and whether caps lock is enabled.
For a complete list of light indicators and shortcuts, you can see a digital version of the manual here.
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- USB-A 2.4Ghz wireless receiver
- Keycap puller/switch puller
- 7x non-translucent keycaps
- 3x extra switch samples
- Stickers
- User documentation which doubles as a poster
We also received a set of eight transparent Mojito Crystal keycaps. These keycaps are listed as optional extras on NuPhy's website, but we didn't order them. We've seen reports from others online who received these without ordering them, and they may have likely been included as extras with some pre-orders.
The Halo96 V2 and NuPhy Halo75 V2 provide an excellent typing experience. They have a gasket mount design which lends a soft, slightly springy feeling to typing. There are also layers of case foam and silicone that help round out the sound profile and minimize pinging.
There's only minor wobble to the keys, and the stabilizers do a good job of keeping larger keys steady. The switches and stabilizers come pre-lubed from the factory. These keyboards also feature what NuPhy calls a 'GhostBar,' which has added polycarbonate and silicone pieces that help minimize spacebar rattle and dampen noise.
We tested with NuPhy Mint switches which are smooth and consistent but very lightweight-feeling, so they may be too sensitive for some typists who may prefer the slightly heavier Raspberry or tactile Lemon switches options instead.
The typing noise with NuPhy Mint switches is quiet overall and unlikely to bother those around you unless you're in a particularly noise-sensitive environment.
We expect the NuPhy Raspberry switches will produce a similar typing noise, and the tactile NuPhy Lemon switches will be somewhat louder.
If you buy this keyboard with Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top switches, the typing noise will be much quieter. For comparison, you can see a video of the typing noise test with Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top switches installed on the NuPhy Gem80, which shares a similar gasket mount design and set of acoustic materials inside the case.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2 keyboards are available with the NuPhy branded 'Herb' series switches made in partnership with Gateron or Silent Red Clear-Top switches, made by Cherry. All switch options come pre-lubed from the factory.
We bought and tested the NuPhy Halo96 V2 with NuPhy Mint switches, which are very lightweight linear switches. They feel smooth and consistent, but they're very easy to actuate accidentally if you like to lightly rest your fingers on your keycaps.
Other switch options include:
- NuPhy Raspberry: Heavier linear switches designed primarily for gaming with a shorter pre-travel distance.
- NuPhy Lemon: Medium-weight tactile switches with a more energetic return travel thanks to a double-stage spring.
- Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top: A linear option with small silicone pieces at the bottom of their housing that cushion the end of travel and significantly dampen the typing noise. Otherwise, they have a standard linear feel similar to standard Cherry MX Red switches but end with a soft, somewhat mushy-feeling bottom-out.
The Halo96 V2 and NuPhy Halo75 V2 provide excellent latency performance, making them well-suited for playing games in all genres. However, this performance is marginally inconsistent compared to many dedicated wireless gaming keyboards, which typically have few outlying latency events. This isn't something you'll notice in-game but has the potential to impact your performance ceiling if you play at a top competitive level.
These keyboards offer excellent multi-key latency overall. The performance is slightly inconsistent compared to many dedicated wireless gaming keyboards, which typically have fewer outlying latency events. However, it's important to note that this isn't something you'll ever notice while playing and only has the potential to impact performance if you play at an extremely high competitive level.
This keyboard's maximum polling rate is 1000Hz, and data transmission isn't bottlenecked by other latency components when connected wired or wirelessly with its 2.4GHz receiver.
N-key rollover (NKRO) is enabled out of the box.
The Halo96 V2 and NuPhy Halo75 V2 provide decent chord split performance, but their lackluster 4-chord split performance means they aren't ideally suited for playing rhythm games or other competitive titles that call for many simultaneous inputs.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo 75 V2 keyboards use VIA software that you can access after downloading the JSON file from NuPhy's website. NuPhy has a published guide for the process here.
Alternatively, you can use a web-based version of the software using any Chromium-based web browser here.
This software has a clean, easy-to-use interface. It allows you to control various expected settings, including the RGB lighting, key assignments, custom layers, and macros.
All keys work as expected on Android, iOS, and iPadOS devices, but the F1, F2, F3, and F4 keys do nothing. For the media keys to work, you need to toggle the keyboard to Mac compatibility mode.