Is NuPhy Keyboard a good starter Keyboard?
Summary
I would recommend a NuPhy keyboard to anyone who wants a keyboard from an up-and-coming company that is fully built out but still gives you the ability to hot-swap the switches to customize it.
Who is NuPhy?
NuPhy is a relatively new company only being active on X (Twitter) since October 2019. NuPhy primarily creates keyboards such as their Air series which is widely used by people who want a separate keyboard for their laptops when they are outside the house and the Halo series which is their more beefy keyboard that is mainly meant to be used as a permanent work station, and also the Gem series which is the middle ground between the Air and the Halo, and the Field Series which is a play on the Halo with AKIRA40K from CIY Studio. They also create keyboard accessories such as custom keycaps, switches, wrist rests, carrying cases, and full-size mousepads.
3 Pros and Cons of NuPhy Keyboards.
Pros:
- A new company that is willing to go outside the box.
- The price is reasonable for what is provided.
- Ability to create personal software.
Cons:
- Very little software support.
- Backward compatibility.
- Shipping time.
A new company that is willing to go outside the box.
When it comes to companies that are already established like Logitech, Corsair, and Razor they are less likely to think outside of the box since when they create a product, they do not hold preorders for the product to see if they have a demand for the product. With NuPhy they always hold a preorder for the product to see if they have a demand for the product, giving them a better understanding as to whether or not they should keep pushing the product and create other variants or slowly kill the product off.
The price is reasonable for what is provided.
When it comes to NuPhy, specifically the NuPhy Halo96, the best comparison would be the IQUNIX F97. Both Keyboards have similar build quality, support Bluetooth, 2.4G, and wired connection, are 96%, and have RGB. The price difference however is massive with a $79.05 USD difference with the NuPhy keyboard selling for $139.95 USD, and the IQUNIX F97 selling for $219 USD.
Ability to create personal software.
This is an overall pro for any product since they allow the user to create specific software for themselves that allows them to use the product to its full potential since they are allowing the user to experiment with the product at their own risk.
Very little software support.
When it comes to the software support for the older version it lacks luster. The software is very clunky, making the experience not the best for the end user, and does not give the user a reason to download and use the software, to begin with.
Backward compatibility.
Going along with the software support NuPhy has started to create V2s for their previous keyboards which have what looks like a new and improved software that is open source. The issue is that their older customers like me are not going to be able to use the software since they are not making it backward compatible from the looks of it.
Shipping time.
When you purchase the product directly from NuPhy they ship the product out of China, this makes it so that the product takes 2–3 weeks to get delivered. This is not taking into consideration that they don’t ship products out during Chinese New Year, so if you purchase the product during that time then the shipping time could exceed 1 month.
Conclusion
If you want to purchase a keyboard that is not like the rest, allows you to switch out the switches, is wireless, is made out of primary metal, and are willing to take the risk to purchase from a newer company with a large fan base, while still getting your monies worth then NuPhy could be a good option for you.
I have the NuPhy Halo96 and I love the product but I do believe that the product could be better when it comes to their software and the help guides that are out there when it comes to trying to customize some aspects of the keyboard like the battery indicator for colorblind people like myself.
