With so many mechanical keyboards on the market, how do you build one that stands out? Just make it better than the rest, right?
The Nuphy Halo96 might not doeverythingbetter than its competitors, but it brings a feature-filled package to your desk that will suit everyone from mechanical keyboard newcomers to seasoned switch users. Better still, it’s great for every job you throw at it; whether typing, gaming, or otherwise, the Halo96 fits the bill.
It comes with hot-swappable switches, programmable RGB, a rather tidy-looking RGB strip around the keyboard base, customizable desktop software, smooth-to-the-touch double-shot keycaps, and much more.
As you can probably tell, I like the Nuphy Halo96. But why should you pick one up for your next mechanical keyboard?
Nuphy Halo96
The Nuphy Halo96 mechanical keyboard brings a host of great features to your desk, including excellent RGB lighting courtesy of its integrated Halo ring, hot-swappable keyboard switches to give extensive customization options, and a really high-quality build that feels solid and sturdy. Its smooth double-shot PBT keycaps also lend themselves to a good typing experience, and the combination of keycaps and switches means the Halo96 is a great option for typing or gaming.
Design and Build Quality
There are multiple striking features when you first unpack the Nuphy Halo96.
First up, the compact 96% layout is one that you don’t see all too often. Common mechanical keyboard sizes typically feature 104, 87/86, or 68 keys, but the Nuphy’s ever-so-slightly compacted 96-key layout is comfortable, stylish, and useful for all manner of tasks. It’s not much different from a full 104-key board, and the compacted 96-key design brings plenty of other features to the table.
The Nuphy Halo96 measures 377mm x 135mm x 41mm with three pitch angles (5.5º, 8.5º, and 11º) and weighs an excellent 1.48kg (3.26lbs). It’s this latter figure you want to focus on, as the Halo96 feels extremely well made, solid in its construction, and crafted with premium materials. The part-aluminum frame is smooth and sleek, and the RGB lighting cut into the frame running around the entire keyboard—the proverbial Halo—is sublime. Nuphy kindly sent an opaque acrylic wrist rest, and this allows some of the halo light to shine through, adding to the effect.
For someone not always fussed about RGB features, I’m super impressed with this. It looks outstanding, especially when paired with the default Nuphy Halo RGB scheme. The same lighting scheme features around the inside edge of the main keyboard housing, and each keypress lights an individual RGB—more on the Nuphy RGB customization options in a moment.
But overall, the Halo96 looks brilliant, and its clear, distinct style shines through. You can pick up the Halo96 in Matte Black or Ionic White, depending on your desktop style. The black version comes with several black keycaps along with the four specifically colored keys, which help to break up the sea of keys. But if an all-white board with a few color flourishes fits your desk, Nuphy has you covered.
Ghostbar and Noise Canceling
Noise reduction and stabilization are central to the Halo96 design, too. The multi-layer design features several silicone noise-dampening layers to reduce the sound of your fingers smashing across the double-shot PBT keycaps.
In addition, the Halo96 directly addresses one source of noise that affects every mechanical keyboard: a noisy spacebar. Where other keycaps are easy to reduce noise and stabilize individually, the spacebar, due to its size, can remain a source of hollow, dull sound versus the beautiful thocking or clacking of your switches.
The Nuphy GhostBar aims to solve this problem with “an innovative acoustic stealth system.” GhostBar does a remarkable job at reducing this all-to-familiar sound, which, once gone, you’ll suddenly appreciate the additional silence. Not that it’s absolute silence, but you’ll notice the significant reduction.
In the Box
The Nuphy Halo96 comes with some handy extras in the box, too. If you want to try some of Nuphy’s other keyboard switches, the Halo96 comes with several options, and you’ll also receive a few keycaps to swap out (along with a handy USB-C cable and keycap and switch puller).
Also of note is the Halo96 instruction sheet. On one side, you have instructions on how to use the keyboard. But once you fold the instructions out fully, you’ll find a poster of Nuphy’s anime mascot. It’s not my cup of tea, but along with the cute stickers, it’s another nice touch.
Features and Connectivity
While the Nuphy Halo96 looks great, it’s not all about style. The Halo96 has three connectivity modes: USB-C, Bluetooth, or 2.4GHz wireless using a supplied USB dongle. I always used wired when available, and given the relative weight and focus of the Halo96, it’s unlikely you’re going to pick this as your traveling keyboard. But the Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections both work well and are easy to use; keeping the 2.4GHz dongle in the keyboard itself is handy, too.
Handily, the Bluetooth option allows you to save up to three different profiles, which is great if you switch between a keyboard, laptop, tablet, or otherwise, and the Nuphy has a 4,000mAh battery for those occasions you switch to one of the wireless modes. Nuphy rates this for 205 hours of use, though I must admit I didn’t get close to this limit during testing. Still, hundreds of hours of use are plenty enough when you’re probably not venturing far from a USB-C charging cable.
The Halo96 function keys also double-up as integrated media keys, navigation keys, and brightness control if you plug into a laptop. Also, the Halo96 has integrated Mac and Windows modes that you can switch between at the rear of the keyboard, with some extra macOS function integration, too.
Usefully, the Halo96 is a fully hot-swappable mechanical keyboard, which means you can swap out the switches at any time for another set. If you prefer a different actuation force, stiffer resistance, or just want some clicky switches, you can change the Halo96 switches any time you please. The Halo96 supports three and five-pin Cherry-compatible mechanical switches, which gives you an enormous selection to choose from.
The Halo96 comes with double-shot PBT keycaps with smooth, rounded edges and familiar concave molding to assist your typing experience. The keycap color scheme differs between the white and black versions of the Halo96, and I have to say that the mixture of black and white keys is my preference. Still, you always have the additional keycaps in the accessory box to switch it up if so desired.
These keycaps are nice, and I’m totally happy with the typing experience they deliver. But if you want the Halo96 RGB to really shine through, you might want to upgrade to the Nuphy Shine-Through keycap set. However, you should note that the shine-throughs use PCBs to achieve the translucent effect and are slightly shallower than the standard PBTs. If you’re replacing a whole set, you’ll be fine, but there isn’t a sensible way to replace just a few keycaps without creating a typing imbalance.
Still, as Cherry MX-stem switches, you can swap the Nuphy Halo96 keycaps for just about any alternative keycap set you want.
Switches and Typing Experience
Now then, onto the serious business: switches and typing. Nuphy offers an extensive range of keyboard switches with the Halo96, all of which are linear (smooth) or tactile (mostly smooth with a bump). There is no out-of-box clicky switch configuration on the Nuphy site, but as the Halo96 has hot-swappable switches, you can pick up a clicky set and install them easily.
Nuphy sent a set of its linear Rose Glacier switches with the Halo96, and I have to say, these are a great set of switches for typing. The 60g actuation force is higher than you’ll find on a linear switch, but the 0.3mm pre-travel and 3.2mm total travel provide a strong, sturdy, and comfortable base to build up a head of steam while plowing through work. The distance between the keys also helps the Halo96 typing experience, and you’ll also note that each Rose Glacier switch comes factory-lubed, further streamlining your typing prowess.
The Halo96 with Rose Glacier switches sounds good, too. The 60g actuation force pushes you to lean into the switches; your typing style also plays a factor in the keyboard sound, too. But as you can hear in the Halo96 typing example below, it’s a steady sound, lacking a little in the thocky sound department and pushing into the clicky-clacky spectrum, but pleasing, nonetheless.
You can also happily use the Halo96 for gaming, too. I found the tactile switches good for games demanding accuracy, even if my own reaction times and accuracy elsewhere are fairly useless.
Nuphy Console Customization Software
If you do purchase the Nuphy Halo96, you’ll want to download the Nuphy Console desktop app. It’s still in the early stages of development, but the Nuphy Console features some useful tools, such as configuring the numerous RGB lightning modes, custom key settings, and macros.
With time, the Nuphy Console will improve. The custom key settings options need a little work and clarity, but they’re decent enough to remap keys as you need.
Should You Buy the Nuphy Halo96?
Yes, you should. There are many excellent mechanical keyboards on the market; it’s highly competitive. Yet theNuphy Halo96 for $160brings extra competition to that market.
The Halo96’s excellent RGB is a great plus point, and the extensive range of Nuphy switches plus hot-swappable functionality means the Halo96 can be customized for any user. And let’s not forget, it looks pretty good, too. The Matte Black colorway is my preference for its mixture of keycap colors and overall style, but both options are easy on the eye.
However, you do have other options when it comes to 96% keyboards. TheKeychron Q5is priced slightly higher and has better build quality by way of its all-aluminum machined case, but its RGB cannot match the Halo96, while the Royal Kludge RK96 is a long-standing mechanical keyboard enthusiast favorite, delivering excellent quality at a very good price.
Still, this is the first Nuphy keyboard I’ve used, and it’s one I’m going to keep using.
