The Halo96/Halo75 V2/Halo65 V2 are wireless mechanical keyboards that continue NuPhy's Halo lineup. These updated models maintain the approach of their predecessors, the NuPhy Halo96 [Halo65, Halo75] keyboards, featuring a standard high-profile design, a range of expressive color options, and a signature RGB lighting strip or 'halo' around their entire edge. Now, these edges are semi-transparent plastic, allowing significantly more light to shine out. Other upgrades include a higher maximum polling rate of 1000Hz that provides significantly better raw gaming performance and support for VIA software and QMK firmware for more in-depth customization.
We bought and tested the compact (96%) NuPhy Halo96 V2 with NuPhy Mint switches, but other sizes and configuration options are available. For more details, see the Differences Between Sizes and Variants section.
Our Verdict
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75/Halo65 V2 keyboards are great for gaming. They have excellent build quality and latency performance that is suitable for playing casual or competitive titles in nearly all genres. However, they don't quite compete as well for rhythm games specifically. Furthermore, it's worth noting that the latency performance is a bit inconsistent overall. That said, this inconsistency isn't noticeable at all in-game and is only an issue if you're interested in playing at a highly competitive level. These keyboards also have full RGB lighting that you can customize along with other settings using the configuration software. Just note that the legends aren't visible in darker rooms, as the stock keycaps lack shine-through legends.
- Excellent build quality.
- Excellent all-around latency performance for nearly all game genres.
- Bright and more extensive RGB lighting compared to most dedicated gaming keyboards.
- South-facing RGB means you can't read legends in darker rooms with the stock keycaps.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75/Halo65 V2 keyboards have excellent build quality. Their gasket-mount design and layers of sound-dampening material lend a soft-feeling and fairly quiet typing experience. They connect wirelessly via an included USB receiver or Bluetooth, which also supports pairing with up to three devices simultaneously. That said, their fairly tall profile means they're most comfortable to use with a wrist rest. Unfortunately, there isn't a wrist rest included, though NuPhy sells them separately on their website.
- Excellent build quality.
- Excellent typing quality.
- Supports Bluetooth connectivity and multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously.
- South-facing RGB means you can't read legends in darker rooms with the stock keycaps.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75/Halo65 V2 keyboards are alright for mobile and tablet use. They have excellent build quality and support Bluetooth connectivity with up to three devices simultaneously. Their standout weakness is that they're quite bulky and heavy compared to dedicated mobile keyboards designed for portability.
- Excellent build quality.
- Supports Bluetooth connectivity and multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously.
- Bulky, heavy, and high-profile; not designed with portability in mind.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75/Halo65 V2 keyboards are great for programming. They have excellent build quality, and their gasket mount design and layers of acoustic material inside the case produce a soft, high-quality typing experience. They connect wirelessly, either with a 2.4GHz receiver or via Bluetooth, with up to three devices simultaneously. They also have impressive RGB lighting, although the stock keycaps don't have shine-through legends, so you can't read them in darker rooms. They also have a high-profile design that's most comfortable to type on with a wrist rest. Unfortunately, there isn't a wrist rest included, but NuPhy does sell them separately.
- Excellent build quality.
- Excellent typing quality.
- VIA/QMK support for in-depth customization.
- South-facing RGB means you can't read legends in darker rooms with the stock keycaps.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75/Halo65 V2 keyboards are a middling option for an entertainment or home theater setup. On the one hand, they have excellent build quality and support multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously. They also have full RGB backlighting. Unfortunately, the LEDs are south-facing, and the stock keycaps don't have shine-through legends, so it's hard to read legends in darker rooms. They also lack dedicated media keys and are much bulkier and heavier than more portability-focused keyboards.
- Excellent build quality.
- Supports Bluetooth connectivity and multi-device pairing with up to three devices simultaneously.
- Bulky, heavy, and high-profile; not designed with portability in mind.
The NuPhy Halo96/Halo75/Halo65 V2 keyboards have impressive raw performance, making them more than suitable for playing casual or competitive games in most genres. They have a 1000Hz polling rate that isn't bottlenecked by other latency components. They also have excellent single- and multi-key latency. However, the latency performance is marginally inconsistent compared to most dedicated gaming models. To be clear, you aren't able to notice any inconsistency while gaming, and it only has the potential to impact performance if you play at an extremely high competitive level. Unfortunately, their chord split performance is only satisfactory, so they aren't ideal for playing rhythm games or other titles with many simultaneous inputs.
- Excellent all-around latency performance for nearly all game genres.
- 1000Hz polling that isn't bottlenecked by other latency components.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 22, 2026: Our Test Bench 1.4.3 update adds clearer terminology and new measurements to our Keystrokes test group. For more details, see the full changelog.
- Updated Jan 09, 2026: Our 1.4.2 Test Bench Update makes changes to the Hardware Customizability test group. We've created a new Magnetic Switch Compatibility test and renamed our previous PCB Socket test to Mechanical Switch Compatibility. See our full changelog.
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Updated Sep 04, 2025:
Added the NuPhy Halo65 V2 as a new variant with mentions throughout the review.
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Updated May 23, 2025:
We've added a link to the NuPhy Kick75 to the Dimensions section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
NuPhy's Halo V2 series keyboards are available in several color options, with various switch options, and two size variants at the time of writing. We bought and tested the NuPhy Halo96 V2 in the Mojito colorway with NuPhy Mint switches. You can see the label for our unit here.
| Name | Size | Color Options | Switch Options | Advertised Battery Life |
| NuPhy Halo96 V2 | Compact (96%) | Obsidian Black, Ionic White, Mojito, Blue Lagoon, Sakura Fizz |
NuPhy Mint, NuPhy Raspberry, NuPhy Lemon Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top |
All backlighting on: 6~90 Hrs Only homing bars on: 89~140 Hrs All backlighting off: Up to 307 Hrs |
| NuPhy Halo75 V2 | Compact (75%) | Obsidian Black, Ionic White, Mojito, Blue Lagoon, Sakura Fizz | NuPhy Mint, NuPhy Raspberry, NuPhy Lemon Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top |
All backlighting on: 9~91 hours Only homing bars on: 140~200 hours All backlighting off: Up to 307 hours |
| NuPhy Halo65 V2 | Compact (65%) | Obsidian Black, Ionic White, Mojito, Blue Lagoon, Sakura Fizz | NuPhy Mint, NuPhy Raspberry, NuPhy Lemon, NuPhy Blush |
All backlighting on: 25~85 hours Only homing bars on: 140~200 hours All backlighting off: Up to 240hours |
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Halo96/Halo 75/Halo65 V2 keyboards continue NuPhy's lineup of Halo mechanical keyboards and make several upgrades over their first-generation NuPhy Halo96 [Halo65, Halo75] models. They maintain the high-profile design that sets them apart from NuPhy's low-profile Air V2 series. These new models have a gasket mount design and more acoustic material that lends a softer, somewhat springy typing quality. They're also available in several new colorways, and the bottom cases are now semi-transparent to allow more light to shine out from their signature halo lighting strips that wrap around the edges. Additionally, these keyboards now support a maximum polling rate of 1000Hz, making them a much more viable option for gaming.
Altogether, these keyboards are competitive upper mid-range options with a standout build quality and typing experience out of the box. They're similar to mechanical keyboards like the Keychron V Max or the more premium Keychron Q Max series, but they have significantly more impressive RGB lighting.
For more recommendations, see our picks for the best mechanical keyboards, the best wireless keyboards, and the best RGB keyboards.
The Keychron V5 Max and the NuPhy Halo96 V2 are both wireless mechanical keyboards with a compact 96% form factor. Both keyboards belong to wider lineups with other size variants available, though the Keychron lineup is much larger with more size variants. The NuPhy keyboards have more of a focus on RGB lighting, with a strip or 'halo' of RGB lighting that wraps around their outer edge. On the other hand, the Keychrons have more of an emphasis on hardware customizability and slightly better and more consistent latency performance, making them a better choice for competitive gaming.
The Keychron Q5 Max and the NuPhy Halo96 V2 are wireless mechanical keyboards with a compact 96% form factor. Each also belongs to a wider lineup with other size variants available, though the Keychron lineup is significantly larger with more sizes available. The NuPhy keyboards have more of a focus on RGB lighting and have a strip or 'halo' of RGB lighting that wraps around their outer edge. They have comparatively more lightweight aluminum top case designs with a semi-transparent plastic bottom case that allows more RGB light to shine out. Comparatively, the Keychron keyboards provide a bit more in the way of hardware customizability and include a kit for disassembly. They also have somewhat better latency performance and significantly heavier solid aluminum case designs.
The NuPhy Air96 V2 and the NuPhy Halo96 V2 are wireless mechanical keyboards that each belong to wider lineups with different size variants available. The major difference between the two lineups is their profile, with the Air series being thin, low-profile models that are much more portable while the Halo models have high profiles with more of an emphasis on RGB lighting. The Halo boards also have slightly better performance, making them a bit better suited for gaming overall.
The NuPhy Halo75 V2 and the Logitech G715 are wireless mechanical keyboards with comparable raw performance. The NuPhy has greater customizability and features an RGB strip or 'halo' that wraps around the keyboard. Its bottom case is also semi-transparent, which allows comparatively more light out. On the other hand, the Logitech has an 'underglow' RGB strip around the outside edge that primarily casts light downwards onto your desk, producing a similar effect. The Logitech also has shine-through keycaps, which the NuPhy lacks, as well as dedicated media keys and a volume wheel. Lastly, the Logitech comes with a cloud-shaped wrist rest while the NuPhy only has wrist rests available for a separate purchase.
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