I plugged a bad USB cable into my GMMK Pro and blew something up. Now I need a new Keyboard. Since I really like using the NuPhy Air60 low-profile Keyboard at work, I figured that rather than splashing out on the new GMMK 3 Pro, I'd try the NuPhy Gem80. Seeing that the keyboard offered a ton of cusomization options with a sleek look, I thought it would fit perfectly on my desk.
Price Breakdown
Continuing with the dark theming of my office:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Gem80 with Bluetooth↗ (Obsidian Black) | $169.95 |
| Themed Keycaps (mSA Profile) | $15 |
| Baby Kangaroo 2.0 Switches (Tactile) | $25 |
| Bokeh Deskmat | $24.00 |
| Twotone Wrist Rest | $34.00 |
| Total (With Shipping) | $301.14 |
You have to factor in the additional cost for keycaps and switches, but the pricing as part of the bundle is fair. All in, it's a mid-range setup.
In the Box
The keyboard box includes:
- The Gem80 keyboard kit
- The top case is made of solid aluminium and the bottom is polycarbonate
- Overall, the keyboard feels solid and heavy and doesn't look cheap
- A coiled USB-C Data Cable
- The cable looks and feels cheap - I won't be using it in my setup
- A 2.4G wireless USB adapter
- A keycap/switch puller
- A small screwdriver with one bit to open the board
- Various accessories for different build options
Really, the only thing missing are the switches and keycaps.
Customizable Build
A big selling point for me was the amount of cusomization possible. The hotswapable south-facing switches are good, but common these days. However, the keyboard comes with many layers of padding with foam or silicone in between the switch plate, the PCB and the bottom of the case.
You can mix and match these layers to adjust how the keyboard sounds and feels.
I’m leaving all the dampening layers in and sticking with the default switch plate for now as .
Good Lighting and Okay QMK/VIA Support
The keyboard has a small switch at the back to change layout. Since the gem keycap layout is for a specific operating sytem, I won't be toggling this often now I have it set for Windows.
The keyboard lights up in 3 distinct areas. The keys, the "Gem" nameplate and the light bar above the escape key. Each of them can be configured independently.
The VIA support is mixed. You need to download a JSON from NuPhy's website, import it onto VIA on the hidden developer tab, and only then you remap the keys. Layers 0-1 are for MAC and 2-3 for Windows.
The keyboard lighting didn't synchronize with SignalRgb. There is a QMK firmware build↗ available on GitHub for the board, but no plugin yet. Since I like for everything to work together, I may spend some time building one .
My Thoughts
The NuPhy Gem80 sounds amazing! Without having to lubricate the switches or add additional foam, the keys have a nice thock to it.
It's not the cheapest Tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard out there. If you’re new to mechanical keyboards, brands like Epomaker, Keychron, or even NuPhy’s own entry-level options might be better choice. It's also not the most expensive kit, where prices can easily go up to thousands. You get a lot of cusomization out of the box to learn and grow your hobby.
I still would like the VIA and community software support to be better, but for now this will do just fine on my desk.
Also: I wrote this post with it. 😁