NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3 — I've tested both and there's only one I'd actually buy

I consider myself supremely lucky that I get to test some of the best mechanical keyboards around. And I consider myself even luckier that many of those are NuPhy boards.

As a custom keyboard enthusiast, a dual macOS and Windows user, a gamer and a writer, NuPhy decks are some of the best around for my needs. While they have a macOS bias, NuPhy boards are always dual compatible, making them great for people like me who work on Macs in the day, then game on Windows in the evening.

While NuPhy doesn't roll out keyboards at the same rate as, say, Keychron (which releases new boards at a frightening frequency), it still launches new ones regularly. And regularly enough that it can often keep older models of its most popular lines on sale for a while after releasing a successive generation.

Such is the case with the Air75 line — NuPhy's lightweight, low-profile typist keyboard. The brand just released the NuPhy Air75 V3, but still has the older NuPhy Air75 V2 on sale. So which should you buy?

Well, I've reviewed both, and each has certain pros and cons. To my mind, though, there's a clear winner. Read on to find out more.

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Specs compared

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Price & availability

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Both keyboards are available from NuPhy and Amazon, although, as the older board, the Air75 V2 is easier to get your hands on at the time of writing. The newer Air75 V3 has now launched on Amazon (I'm writing about a week after its full release), although shipping times are a little longer, not all variants are listed, and stocks may run low. It'll take a few weeks or more for the Air75 V3 to be more widely available at Amazon.

The NuPhy Air75 V2 costs $134 at Amazon, while the NuPhy Air75 V3 costs $159 at Amazon. Delivery is free.

You can buy both models from the NuPhy store, where each board is cheaper, but you will also be charged $20 for delivery in the U.S., which can make NuPhy direct a worse choice. The NuPhy Air75 V2 costs $129 at Amazon, meaning $149 with delivery ($15 more expensive than Amazon). The NuPhy Air75 V3 costs $139 at NuPhy, meaning $159 with delivery (the same as Amazon).

NuPhy Air75 V2: $134 at Amazon

The NuPhy Air75 V2 is still widely available, and retails for around $25 cheaper than the new model. It offers a great typing experience, lots of switch choices at checkout, and typically dashing NuPhy looks.

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In terms of the price comparison, the NuPhy Air75 V2 is obviously the cheaper of the two boards, so it comes out on top. Whether you'd regret saving that $20 is, well, something I'll cover later in this article. But this section is about price alone. And so...

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V2 (V2 — 1 | 0 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Design

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Admittedly, the design of the Air line has changed very little across successive generations, and the Air75 V2 and Air75 V3 share some of the same key features. Each uses NuPhy's slimline nSA-profile keycaps, made from doubleshot PBT and featuring the cutesy NuPhy font. Each employs NuPhy's characteristic monochromatic colorways contrasted with pops of color from select keycaps.

Both keyboards are obviously low-profile, with aluminum top cases and ABS plastic bottom cases. Both are compact and lightweight, and each is designed to fit over a MacBook's built-in keyboard for use when in compact spaces — on a plane or train, for example.

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However, there are some key differences, most of which favor the new model. The Air75 V3 uses thicker aluminum for its top case, which looks and feels more premium. It also uses more sound-damping and seemingly thicker plastic in its bottom case, all of which aids a nicer sound profile (as I'll cover later). In general, the V3 feels higher quality and less hollow.

NuPhy Air75 V3: $159 at Amazon

The Air75 V3 offers a sublime typing experience, innovative switches and a creamy sound profile. It's quite the looker, too! Its build quality is excellent, and it offers a decent amount of software and hardware customization potential.

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This means the V3 is slightly heavier than the V2 (1.65lbs vs 1.32lbs), but the dimensions are more or less the same, with the V3 actually the slightly smaller board overall.

The V3 model also employs a customizable top-right key, which can be swapped out for a control knob, in either tall- or low-profile guise (both included), giving you freedom with how you have that key set up.

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V3 (V2 — 1 | 1 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Switches & typing

Both the Air75 V2 and Air75 V3 type nicely, but the V3 is a big upgrade. A lot of that is down to the switches used. The AirV3 utilizes Gateron's LP (low-profile) 3.0 switches. While these have the form factor of low-profile switches, they have the travel distance of standard-profile ones. This gives you more space before bottoming out the keys and results in a super airy feel when typing, befitting the keyboard's name.

Both keyboards utilize a gasket-mounted PCB, providing a cushioned bottom out. But those innovative new switches in the V3 really complement the gasket mount a lot better than the Gateron LP 2.0's and NuPhy flower switches available on the V2.

On that note, the V2 model is available with more switches. There are three Gateron LP 2.0 switches: Red (linear), Brown (tactile) and Blue (clicky). And there are also four of NuPhy's flower line switches to choose from, too: Aloe (linear), Cowberry (linear), Wisteria (tactile) and Moss (tactile).

By contrast, the V3 model has only three switches to choose from: Red (linear), Brown (tactile) and Blush (linear silent). So, if you want more choice over switches from the factory, the V2 is the best bet. The thing is, both boards are hot-swappable, meaning you can fit whatever low-profile switches you want in the V3 (for the extra cost of buying more switches), so I don't think this is a huge deal.

Both boards use the same NuPhy nSA-profile LP keycaps, which are rounded and pleasant to type on. The V3, however, is the better internally damped keyboard overall, which affects sound (as I'll come onto next) but also type feel. It simply feels less hollow.

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V3 (V2 — 1 | 2 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Sound

And that brings me neatly onto sound! The extra attention paid to build quality, better sound damping and added weight bestowed upon the Air75 V3 really pay off in terms of sound. The Air75 V2 didn't sound terrible, but there was a hollow, lightweight, clacky acoustic profile to the board — it lacked the low-end thud of other LP keyboards like the Lofree Flow84 and NuPhy Kick75.

The Air75 V3 sounds much, much better, with none of the hollowness of its predecessor and a creamy and fuller-bodied sound profile.

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V3 (V2 — 1 | 3 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Gaming

Both keyboards are equally suited to gaming as one another. Neither is a true "gaming keyboard" as both are aimed at productivity, and indeed, macOS users, first — the telltale sign being the macOS keycaps that ship with both boards (Windows are also included).

Each board polls at 1,000Hz over both wired and 2.4G connections, though, naturally dropping to 125Hz over Bluetooth. While the best gaming keyboards now poll at 8,000Hz, boards that poll at 1,000Hz are still fine for the vast majority of gamers — at that frequency, the board is scanning itself fast enough to virtually remove the chance of missed inputs, at least to the extent that matters for non-esports gaming.

The choice of switches may give the Air75 V2 a slight edge here, as the shorter travel distance of the Gateron LP 2.0 and NuPhy flower switches will lend a more responsive feel to gaming. Again, though, there's nothing to stop you fitting different switches down the line to either board.

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If you want a properly gaming-focused deck, check out both of these keyboards' hardcore gaming sibling: the NuPhy Air60 HE — in my opinion, the finest low-profile gaming keyboard on the market. The Air60 HE polls at 8K and features magnetic switches, which allow you to customize actuation and enable useful gaming features like Rapid Trigger and Last Key Prioritization (a.k.a "Snap Tap").

Winner: Draw (V2 — 1 | 4 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Customization & firmware

In regard to hardware customization, the Air75 V3 just edges ahead thanks to its replaceable control knob. Otherwise, both boards are more or less the same in terms of customization potential. Each is hot-swappable, but neither is a particularly mod-friendly board if you want to go further than that. They're not as easy to completely take apart as, say, the Kick75 or Keychron boards like the Keychron Q1 Pro.

Where the Air75 V3 has a distinct upper hand, though, is in its firmware. This might be a controversial opinion, but I prefer that the newer model uses proprietary NuPhy firmware instead of open source QMK firmware, as on the V2.

Why? Well, the V2's QMK firmware was janky, and I experienced numerous glitches with our test sample, as well as other NuPhy boards running QMK. NuPhy's own firmware is, well, its own, and it works better — I've had no glitching on the V3.

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Importantly, the V2's software was customizable using the VIA web app, which was fine, but very basic. You could assign macros, keybinds and change lighting — the basic stuff. NuPhy.io, which is used to tweak the Air75 V3, is way better. It's much slicker looking, and provides all the functionality of VIA, plus extra, including customizable SOCD resolutions. It offers greater customization potential from the software side of things.

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V3 (V2 — 1 | 5 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Battery

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Both keyboards feature 4,000mAh batteries, but the Air75 V3 uses its power cell much more efficiently than the V2. Your mileage will, of course, vary based on the RGB setting and brightness used, as well as the wireless connection type — and therefore polling rate — you're using.

However, with RGB off, the Air75 V3 is rated for a huge 1,200 hours of battery life versus 220 hours on the Air75 V2. Need I say more?

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V3 (V2 — 1 | 6 — V3)

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs NuPhy Air75 V3: Verdict

Winner: NuPhy Air75 V3! (6 | 1)

Huzzah! We have a winner. The NuPhy Air75 V3 is an impressive update to the Air lineup, offering an array of new features while vastly improving the core functionality and user experience of its predecessor.

NuPhy Air75 V3: $159 at Amazon

A massive update over its predecessor, the Air75 V3 offers a sublime typing experience, innovative switches and a creamy sound profile. Its build quality is better than the V2 model, it sounds and feels less hollow, and offers more in the way of customization potential.

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The Air75 V3 is pricier, yes, but not by much, and I think the improvements made to the keyboard more than justify the extra $25 or so.

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