NuPhy Air75 V3 JIS (Japanese Array) Review｜The appeal of a low-profile keyboard with a change in keystroke sound direction

NuPhy’s low-profile mechanical keyboards also finally use gasket mounts.

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The NuPhy Air75 V3 is the third low-profile mechanical keyboard released by NuPhy.

The Air Series, which includes 65%/75%/96% lineups, has evolved through two rounds of improvements.

Air75 V3″ with 75% layout, the first “V3” as the third improvement, has become popular in recent years for its good key feel. The “gasket mount” is adopted. The Air75 V3 is the first “V3” with a 75% layout, and has adopted the “gasket mount,” which has become popular in recent years for its excellent keystroke feel, and has been renamed “Air75 V3. The change from “clacky” to “thocky” is considered a major turning point. This was a major turning point.

In addition, the long-awaited Japanese language layout is one of the points that Japanese people are very happy to see. Japanese language layout is one of the most welcome features for Japanese people.

This article reviews the NuPhy Air75 V3 JIS, an advanced low-profile mechanical keyboard.

NuPhy Air75 V3 was provided by Sanyo Godo Kaisha, NuPhy’s authorized distributor in Japan, for promotional purposes.

NuPhy Air75 V3 Overview

First, let’s look at an overview of NuPhy Air75 v3.

selling price

28,600 yen (tax included)
– English and Japanese layouts common

Use coupon code “ryo10” for 10% off.

Technical Specifications

• Layout: 75%.
  • ANSI (English alignment) – 84keys
  • JIS (Japanese alignment) – 88keys

• Tilt angle: 4°/8°/10

• Keyswitch: Low Profile-Gateron LowProfile 3.0
  • Red nano(Linear 45gf)
  • Brown nano(Tactile 50gf)
  • Blush nano(Silent Linear 42gf)

Not backward compatible with Gateron LP 2.0.

Size and Weight

• Length: 318.9 mm
• Width: 128.9mm
• Height :13.2mm
• Weight: 724g

Other Specifications

• Stabilizer type: plate mount
• Mounting type: Gasket
• Hot-swap support: 0
• N-key rollover support: 0
• Backlight: South-facing RGB-LED
• Backlight mode: 20
• Supported systems: macOS/Windows/Linux/Android/iOS
• Operating environment: -10 to 50°C
• Connection mode: 2.4GHz, USB-C wired, Bluetooth 5.0
• Wired polling rate: 1000Hz
• 2.4GHz polling rate: 1000Hz
• Bluetooth 5.0 polling rate: 125 Hz
• Top case: aluminum
• Bottom case: ABS
• Plate material: PC
• Keycap: Double-shot PBT

Other Points of Interest

• Battery level indicator
• Rhythm RGB Light Bar
• 4000mAh high-capacity battery
• Rotary encoder can be mounted
• Gasket mount
• Equipped with sound-absorbing foam

Use coupon code “ryo10” for 10% off.

NuPhy Air75 V3 JIS (Japanese layout) review

Let’s take a look at the actual photos of Air75 V3.

Let’s start with the outer box.

It comes in an outer box printed with NuPhy’s unique three-dimensional keyboard.

It is presumed that both JIS and ANSI models are in the same outer box.

The simple exterior is reminiscent of Apple products.

Opening.

The keyboard itself is housed in the space below, and the upper space houses accessories.

Contents include keyboard body, Type C(A) to C cable, rotary encoder board, two types of rotary encoder knobs, precision hexagonal wrench, keycap/key switch puller, instruction manual, and replacement keycaps.

The cable included in previous NuPhy products was a Type A to C cable, but the new cable is a Type C to C cable with a Type C to A (female to male) conversion adapter in the same color as the cable.

We will look at the appearance of the keyboard.

The white-based keycap with accents of green, yellow, and red look very nice.

The accent color, green, is a pastel tone that is exquisitely fashionable.

Starting with this model, an aluminum top case has been adopted.

The mesh has a fine bead-blasted finish, and the matte patina is quite similar to that of Apple products.

The Rhythm RGB light bar is subtly mounted to the left side of the decorative keycap in the Esc section mentioned earlier.

The model under review is the “JIS (Japanese layout)” model, which was adopted from the Air75v3 model and has a layout familiar to Japanese people.

Due to the Japanese layout being dropped into the outer diameter of the ANSI-based case, the Z line is shifted 0.25u to the left of the normal position.

This is the same displacement as Lofree Flow Lite JIS/HHKB Japanese layout/Realforce RC1 JIS/MX Mechanical Mini.

To support both Mac and Windows, icon keys corresponding to “Eisuji/Kana” and “Conversion/No Conversion” are provided next to the space bar, and a “KANA” key for Windows Japanese layout is also provided.

Since the Kana key is not needed for macOS, the keymap can be changed to a different key.

The length of the space bar is “4.25u”.

Yellow accent keycaps are more like orange than yellow.

Next to it is located a rotary encoder knob and a part of the structure that can be replaced with a key switch.

Zoom in around the Enter key.

I see that the familiar Japanese-language Enter key (ISO Enter) is installed.

The right Shift key is located next to “_ \ (ろ)” and is 1u size.

A battery indicator is mounted next to the rotary encoder in a paired position with the rhythm RGB light bar.

This rotary encoder part can be changed to a key switch by replacing the entire board. (The default is a key switch.)

Let’s follow the procedure.

Remove the four key caps in the right corner and unscrew with a precision Allen wrench.

Replace with a keyswitch type board and put back together to finish.

The board has 10 spring-loaded contacts.

I see that there is a copper foil corresponding to each contact on the back of the board.

The left side of the back of the unit houses a Type C port for wired connections and a USB dongle for 2.4GHz connectivity.

On the right rear of the unit is a 3-way switch for off↔︎wired connection↔︎wireless connection and Win↔︎macOS.

The normal typing angle is 4 degrees, and by raising the tilt leg, the typing angle can be adjusted by 8 or 10 degrees for a total of 3 degrees.

Let’s look at the bottom.

The bottom is made of transparent ABS material, and you can see through the silicon sheet that is laid on the bottom.

As mentioned above, the tilt leg can be adjusted in two steps from the default.

The bottom plate section is designed with the “NuPhy” logo on the mirror surface, a section that has been used continuously since the first generation.

The bottom is my favorite look from this angle.

The matte aluminum frame, transparent case made of ABS material, and mirror-like plate on the slightly transparent part of the contents are a perfect match.

Rubber feet for non-slip grip are firmly embedded in the horizontal type.

Then let’s look at the key caps.

Keycaps are nSA profile.

It has a spherical design with a depression toward the center and no difference in slope from row to row.

The keycap material is PBT material, and the printing is sublimation printing (Dye-Sub).

The switches are relatively thick-walled, which contributes to the sound of the keystroke.

The keyswitch is GATERON LowProfile 3.0, which is not compatible with Gateron LP 2.0 used in the Air V1/V2 series.

While retaining the low-profile shape, the maximum stroke width has been increased to 3.5 mm, and the major change is that the contact points are now in the same position as those of the MX keyswitches.

New this time around, silent linear key switches have been adopted to take office use into consideration.

The silent linear key switch Blush nano has a relatively light pressing pressure of 42gf and a shorter stroke of 3.2mm compared to the other two types, so it is likely to enable quicker typing.

Use coupon code “ryo10” for 10% off.

Advantages of NuPhy Air75 V3

The four advantages of NuPhy Air75 V3 JIS that I have found in actual use are as follows.

English and Japanese layouts are selectable.

After all, the most notable feature of Air75’s evolution to V3 is the addition of Japanese-language layouts to the lineup.

ANSI (English layout) on the left and JIS (Japanese layout) on the right. The number of additional keycaps, including accent keys, is different: ANSI has 8, JIS has 6. ANSI can change the space bar from yellow to white and the Enter key from red to white; JIS has only white for both the space bar and Enter key.

After all, Japan is a “country of origin,” and most keyboards on the market, or default keyboards for notebook and desktop PCs, are arranged in Japanese.

Therefore, English keyboards were only used by “some keyboard enthusiasts” and were not common.

I believe that the efforts of Sanyo Godo Kaisha, our Japanese distributor, were very significant in the sales of this Japanese-language array.

After all, being able to use your favorite keyboard in the layout you are accustomed to using on a regular basis means zero switching costs.

In addition, the fact that it “recognizes the keyboard as a Japanese keyboard on a Mac without any problem” is as expected of NuPhy.

To have macOS recognize it as a Japanese layout, you must first access NuPhu IO 2.0, perform a firmware update, and then reconnect it.

Great key feel and sound

The sound and feel of the Air75 V3 have changed dramatically from the previous model, moving away from Clacky and toward Thocky.

We believe the change was probably made with the competing low-profile mechanical keyboards Lofree Flow /Flow2, IQUNIX MG80, and MAGI65 in mind.

In v2, it was top-mounted, but in v3, it was changed to gasket-mounted.

The switch plate is made of highly flexible polycarbonate, giving the keys an even softer feel.

In addition, the new aluminum frame is designed to avoid a cheap feel, while the sound-absorbing foam has been enhanced.

Brushed up to perfection as a keyboard.

The Air75v3 has been brushed to perfection as a keyboard.

The newly adopted aluminum frame is very beautifully shaped and impeccable.

The half-skeleton molding on the bottom is not cheap, and combined with the mirror material, it gives a sense of luxury.

The LED indicators placed on the left and right sides glow in a very elegant manner, giving the impression of having evolved into a “mature” model compared to the first and second generation models, which were sold with a pop-like appearance.

Easy to use with NuPhy IO 2.0-compliant board

Air75 V3 supports keymap changes with the original web application “NuPhy IO 2.0”.

Although the contents that can be done are not so different from those of VIA, the intuitive UI is still wonderfully well designed.

Japanese-language layout is also supported, and firmware updates are very smooth.

Use coupon code “ryo10” for 10% off.

Disadvantages of NuPhy Air75 V3

There is no doubt that the NuPhy Air75 V3 is a very attractive keyboard.

However, there are a few caveats that you should check before purchasing.

May not be recommended for those who like the sound of the previous keystroke

Air75V3 is not recommended for those who like Clacky.

In competition with the direction of our competitors, we have adopted a gasket mount and shifted to a “kotokoto-style” keystroke sound.

At the time the V2 was released, the Lofree Flow was also released, and the NuPhy Air series was sometimes contrasted with the NuPhy Air series, which was noisy.

However, this was only because the public’s preference was “kotokoto-leaning,” and NuPhy’s initial goal was not in line with the public’s preference for keystroke sounds, and those who liked clacky keystrokes stuck.

Since V3 has changed to a “mass-oriented” keystroke sound, you should check carefully before purchasing.

Inconvenient to carry due to increased weight

model	weight
Air75 V2	Approx. 598g (1.31lb)
Air75 V3	Approx. 724g (1.6lb)

This is a trade-off for the aluminum frame.

The Air75 V3 weighs a whopping 120g more than the V2.

Although it is not as much as an increase of one smartphone, there is no doubt that the weight has increased, and those who were considering purchasing the product on the assumption that it would be portable should consider whether this increase in weight is acceptable.

No backward compatibility with Gateron LP 2.0

Starting from this time, the installed keyswitch has been changed to “Gateron LP 3.0” which is compatible with the electric contacts of Cherry MX keyswitches.

Therefore, the Gateron LP 2.0 series keyswitches used in the previous Air series are not available for the Air75v3.

Summary｜The definitive Japanese-language keyboard

This has been our review of the NuPhy Air75v3 Japanese-language layout.

Recently, a number of foreign brands have released Japanese-language keyboards.

Among them, the Air75V3 seems to be the most recommended Japanese keyboard “based on overall aspects”.

If the split space bar is a priority, Lofree Flow LITE JIS is a candidate, but the keymap change software is a little weak (settings such as MOD-TAP are not possible, and there have been problems with web applications in the past), and there is also some concern about recognition when using it on macOS (No problem on Windows). (No problem on Windows).

If name recognition is a priority, there is the Logitech MX MECHANICAL Mini (Japanese layout), but it does not support keymap changes.

In this way, the NuPhy Air75v3 seems to be the best in the “low-profile mechanical keyboard with Japanese layout and keymap changeable” condition at present.

If you’re looking for the “best low-profile Japanese keyboard,” this may be just what you’re looking for.

Use coupon code “ryo10” for 10% off.