Head to head · Prices checked Nov 10, 2026

Nuphy Gem80 vs Keychron R3

Get the Nuphy Gem80 for hot-swappable and via.

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Hot-swappable

from$170at Nuphy

from$79at MK

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Nuphy Gem80

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the top 10% of 80% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.

$170 at Nuphy

Get the

Keychron R3

Build quality in the bottom 30% of 80% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.

$79 at MK

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 Gem80

Keychron R3

Hot-swappable
Yes
No
Switch changes without soldering
Switch options
Mechanical
Linear, Tactile
VIA
Yes
No
GUI remapping without compiling firmware
Sound dampening
Yes
No
Layout standard
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE
ANSI
ISO and JIS exist so regional layouts fit

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Nuphy Gem80
Keychron R3

Performance: 79
44
Build quality: 84
52
Productivity: 88
46
Customizability: 94
48
Portability: 76
50

What they share

Layout size: 80%
Battery: 4,000 mAh
QMK

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Nuphy Gem80 vs Keychron R3 specs

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

10 of 25 specs differ

Spec

Nuphy Gem80

Keychron R3

Typing & switches

Switch options

Mechanical

Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount

—

Sound dampening

Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE

ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard

Display

None

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

—

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

—

Battery

4,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Polycarbonate

—

Plate material

Aluminum, FR4, Polycarbonate, POM

—

Keycaps

ABS, PBT

—

Weight

1,120 g

—

Dimensions

37 x 358 x 141 mm

—

Typing angle

6°

—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing

None

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2024

2026

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Nuphy Gem80

Input Gear
ISO-DE
Out of stockShips to you

Keychron R3

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

Nuphy Gem804 stores