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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 11, 2026

Nuphy Air96 V2 vs KBDFans Athena 1800

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Nuphy Air96 V2

Build quality in the top 25% of 96% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

Get the

KBDFans Athena 1800

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $150.

What actually differs

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

KBDFans Athena 1800

  • Layout size

    96%

    100%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Low profile

    Yes

    No

  • Ergonomics

    Standard

    Split Backspace

  • Case material

    ABS, Aluminum, Plastic

    Aluminum

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Nuphy Air96 V2
  • KBDFans Athena 1800
Performance
80
68
Build quality
78
78
Productivity
88
68
Customizability
94
82
Portability
56
43

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Nuphy Air96 V2 vs KBDFans Athena 1800 specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

16 of 27 specs differ

Nuphy Air96 V2

KBDFans Athena 1800

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Low-profile Mechanical, Tactile
—

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

—
Top Mount

Low profile

Yes
No

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

96%
100%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI, ISO

Ergonomics

Standard
Split Backspace

Display

None
LED, LCD

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

4,000 mAh
Wired only

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Aluminum, Plastic
Aluminum

Plate material

Plastic
Aluminum, Brass, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate, Steel

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

663 g
3,000 g

Dimensions

14 x 373 x 133 mm
—

Typing angle

9°
9°

Backlight

RGB
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

VIAL

No
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2023
2025

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

Nuphy Air96 V2

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

KBDFans Athena 1800

  • KBDfans

    ISO

    Out of stockShips to you

  • MonacoKeys

    ISO

    Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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