Nuphy Air96 V2 vs Halo96 V2Low-Profile vs Gasket Mount Showdown
Choose the Air96 V2 for a slim, portable typing feel, or the Halo96 V2 for a premium, cushioned sound and typing experience.
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Which one should you get?
Get the
Nuphy Air96 V2
Low-Profile
Build quality in the top 25% of 96% boards under $150.
- Extremely slim low-profile design at 13.5mm height.
- Lightweight at 663 grams for easy portability.
- Includes sound-dampening layers like plate poron, PCB IXPE, and spacebar silicone.
- Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
Get the
Nuphy Halo96 V2
Gasket Mount Showdown
Build quality in the top 20% of 96% boards under $150.
- Features a premium PCB gasket mount for a cushioned typing feel.
- Includes a six-layer sound dampening stack for a tuned acoustic experience.
- South-facing RGB LEDs ensure compatibility with most aftermarket keycap sets.
- South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
Your choice depends on your primary need for form factor versus typing experience. Select the Nuphy Air96 V2 if you want a sleek, lightweight keyboard that mimics a laptop's feel and is easy to transport. Opt for the Nuphy Halo96 V2 if you prefer a premium, stationary keyboard with a cushioned gasket mount, superior sound tuning, and more vibrant lighting for your desktop setup.
The differences that matter
Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.
Nuphy Air96 V2
Nuphy Halo96 V2
Low profile
Yes
No
Case material
ABS, Aluminum, Plastic
ABS, Aluminum
Switch options
Clicky, Linear, Low-profile Mechanical, Tactile
Mechanical
Weight
663 g
1,150 g
Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel
Plate material
Plastic
POM
- Nuphy Air96 V2
- Nuphy Halo96 V2
- Performance
- 8080
- Build quality
- 7881
- Productivity
- 8888
- Customizability
- 9489
- Portability
- 5655
- Layout size: 96%
- Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
- Hot-swappable
- Battery: 4,000 mAh
- Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
- QMK
What will you mostly use it for?
The Air96 V2 wins for office use and travel due to its light weight and slim, low-profile form factor. The Halo96 V2 is the preferred choice for programming, modding, and content creation, thanks to its premium gasket-mounted construction and enhanced acoustics. For gaming, both are equally capable with their high polling rates and hot-swap sockets.
It's a tie
- Both offer a 1000Hz polling rate for low-latency input.
- Both are hot-swappable for switch customization.
- The Air96 V2's low-profile switches like Cowberry have a short 1.2mm pre-travel for rapid actuation.
- The Halo96 V2's Raspberry switch is also designed for early actuation.
Nuphy Air96 V2 vs Halo96 V2 specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
8 of 26 specs differ
Nuphy Air96 V2
Nuphy Halo96 V2
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Low profile
Sound dampening
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Typing angle
Backlight
QMK
VIA
N-key rollover
Mac & Windows
Released
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Nuphy Air96 V2 vs Halo96 V2: your questions
The core difference is the form factor and mounting style. The Air96 V2 is a low-profile, slim keyboard. The Halo96 V2 is a standard-profile keyboard with a premium PCB gasket mount and a multi-layer sound-dampening system for a more cushioned and acoustically tuned typing experience.
Yes, both the Nuphy Air96 V2 and Halo96 V2 feature hot-swappable sockets. This allows you to change switches without soldering. The Halo96 V2 listing specifies support for 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches.
The Halo96 V2 is generally better for extended typing comfort due to its gasket mount, which provides a softer, more cushioned feel, and its included mSA profile keycaps. The Air96 V2 offers a different comfort focused on a low, laptop-like typing angle.
No, you cannot directly swap keycaps between these models. The Air96 V2 uses low-profile nSA keycaps designed for low-profile switches. The Halo96 V2 uses standard MX-style switches and comes with high-profile mSA keycaps.
Yes, both keyboards feature RGB backlighting. The Halo96 V2 has a more extensive system with south-facing LEDs on the PCB, side light bands, and a magnetic nameplate LED. It also supports SignalRGB for advanced lighting control.
The Air96 V2 is significantly more portable. It weighs 663g compared to the Halo96 V2's 1150g, and is much thinner (13.5mm vs 33mm height). Nuphy also sells a dedicated NuFolio travel case for the Air96 V2.
According to the vendor page, the Halo96 V2 comes with NuPhy's Herb series switches (Mint, Raspberry, Lemon) or Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top switches. These are standard-profile, factory-lubed switches.
The Air96 V2 comes with low-profile switches. Options include NuPhy's floral series like Aloe, Cowberry, Wisteria, and Moss, or Gateron Low-profile 2.0 switches in Red, Blue, and Brown variants.
Yes, both the Nuphy Air96 V2 and Halo96 V2 are compatible with QMK and VIA firmware. This allows for deep customization of key mappings, layers, and lighting effects directly through the VIA configurator.
Both keyboards have a 4000mAh battery. Lab test results show varying times based on lighting. With all lights off, the Air96 V2 is listed for up to 220 hours, while the Halo96 V2 is listed for up to 307 hours.
Both include a USB-C cable, a 2.4G receiver, a keycap/switch puller, extra keycaps, extra switches, and a sticker set. The Air96 V2 includes 9 extra keycaps and 4 switches, while the Halo96 V2 includes 7 extra keycaps and 3 switches.
Both are compatible with macOS. The vendor descriptions highlight that both have dedicated Mac shortcuts implemented via QMK. The Halo96 V2 has a physical OS switch to toggle between Mac and Windows key layouts.
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