🎶 “Hello… is it Halo you’re looking for?” 🎶
Lionel Richie probably wasn’t singing about keyboards back in the ’80s, but if he tried the Nuphy Halo65v2, I’m pretty sure he would’ve. Let’s check what that keeb is about.
Disclaimer: Nuphy sent this product to me, but they did not influence the review.
In the Box
- Nuphy Halo65v2
- quick start guide and Nuphy stickers
- keycap/switch puller
- 6 spare Windows keycaps (my unit came with Mac keycaps installed)
- 3 spare switches (Lemon, Raspberry, Mint)
- USB-A to C cable
- dust cover
- 2.4 GHz USB dongle
My unit came with a bit of a loose silicon pad under the Ghost Bar, so I had to push it down a bit to make it work because the Ghost Bar was protruding too much. Mind you, the Blush Silent switches were added to my unit — there are only the default 3 switches in the box to test.
Specs and Features
What changed since Halo65 v1
- Modern upgrade: hard gasket mount, six-layer damping, and translucent PC case deliver better acoustics and glow.
- Switch variety: four unique custom switches with different housings add personality and choice (linear, tactile, silent)
- Keycap upgrade: new mSA profile feels more refined than standard profiles.
- Connectivity & performance: tri-mode with 1,000 Hz 2.4 GHz wireless makes it equally viable for gaming and productivity.
- Battery life: long-lasting with or without lights.
- Value: at ~$119.95, it offers almost premium build quality, customization, and style at a competitive price.
Unboxing
Sound Tests
Design and Build Quality
The Halo65 V2 isn’t just a fake refresh of the first one. Most of the work was done with the structure, the sound, and the way the lights spread through the case. Inside, they used a PCB gasket mount this time (but pretty stiff), so the board sits on gaskets with layers of foam instead of being bolted down hard. It gives the keys a softer feel and gets rid of that sharp, hollow sound. There are six layers of dampening in total; you can see it when you open up the keyboard.
The spacebar was a weak point before, so they finally went for something good. It’s now the GhostBar (a solution used by Nuphy in other boards)— hollowed and split inside so it doesn’t ring or echo when you hit it.
The case consists of two parts: aluminum on top for strength, translucent polycarbonate on the bottom. That bottom layer isn’t just plastic; it spreads the Halo 2.0 lighting so the whole underside glows instead of just a few spots.
The board weighs about 798 grams. Heavy enough to sit steady on the desk, light enough to pick up without effort. Underneath, you get flip-out feet with three angle options: 5°, 9°, and 12°. Handy if you’re picky about wrist position. At the back, you have a Win/Mac switch and a wired/wireless/off switch as well, and a nice Nuphy steel plate.
For looks, they went with something like a cocktail glass vibe. That’s where the colorways like Sakura Fizz, Mojito, and Blue Lagoon come from. Even the optional wrist rest is acrylic, so it picks up the glow and feels like part of the board instead of an extra piece.
Bottom line? Very nice colorways, very nice aesthetics, very solid build with very good quality materials.
Switches
The Raspberry switch is quieter than the Mint, but the most peaceful is the Blush, which is the Sigma switch here. Lemon is the tactile one that deviates from the others by offering a subtle bump during keypress — these are the ones my Halo64v2 came equipped with. I also received a pack of 35 Blush switches, but I ended up liking the Lemons more (mostly because of their tactility).
Mind you, all switches except for the Blush produce visible wobbles on the stem, which is pretty visible once you start to wiggle the keycaps (except for the Ghost Bar and the ones with stabilizers, of course). That is actually something I noticed immediately; however, the typing experience and productivity were still nice.
Bottom line? All switches except the Blush are wobbly.
Keycaps
Nuphy equipped Halo65v2 with their mSA keycaps, and that’s my first time I ever tested them. They are high-profile keycaps, derived from a more common profile (nSA), but with adjustments for ergonomics — slightly shorter, with a larger, more rounded surface area. The legends include light-emitting homing bars (for the F, J, and the top arrow key), aligned with the south-facing LEDs to make the focal points easier to see without being overly bright.
They are, of course, double-shot PBT (which means the legends are molded in a separate layer, not painted or etched on, which helps prevent fading) keycaps as well. There’s also a transparent PC version of the mSA keycaps (labeled “Crystal”), intended for stronger backlighting or differing aesthetics. I have included some of them from the EM Labs set (sold separately) to show you the difference:
These keycaps are a NuPhy-specific design — EM Labs set that comes with 137 keys, covering the layouts of Halo65, Halo75, Halo96, Gem80, Field75, and similar models. The set is sold separately.
Bottom line? I love the mSA keycaps. Everything is angled just right and feels smooth.
Halo Lights
So, they call it Halo Lights, and they brighten up your keyboard from the sides and from underneath. The result is pretty awesome, I’d say.
That is the main story of Halo65 v2 — originally, when they tried to place silicone diffusers over the LEDs, it left ugly dark spots and shadows. Different placements and materials didn’t solve it. The team ended up increasing the number of LEDs from 69 to 80, tilting them at specific angles, widening the light bands, and cutting crescent-shaped openings into the case so the glow would spread evenly.
The result is that the bottom case itself lights up uniformly, without patchiness. Many effects, many colors — all customized by keyboard shortcuts or the QMK/VIA software.
Bottom line? Halo Lights could be the selling pitch. I like the Halo Lights a lot.
Software and Battery Life
QMK and VIA get so much praise in the keyboard world because they solve one of the biggest pain points of custom/mechanical boards: flexibility without jank. I’m glad Halo65 v2 uses it.
Mind you: reach out to Nuphy for your .json file to make it work.
Basically, all the features are here: you can remap literally every key, layer, and macro. Things like custom shortcuts, tap/hold behaviors (e.g., a key acts as Ctrl when held, but Esc when tapped), or full “gaming layers” are trivial. Beyond just remapping, it supports things like mouse keys, combos, tap dance, dual-role keys, per-key RGB, etc.
It is very user-friendly, so you should not have too many problems with it, even if you are new to VIA/QMK.
Its advantages are easy to notice:
- No bloated drivers or clunky OEM software.
- Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Community-driven rather than locked behind a brand.
- More powerful than most bloated “gaming” software from Razer, Corsair, Logitech, etc.
When it comes to the battery life (4000 mAh unit), Nuphy claims 180 hours when the Homing Bars are on, and 80 hours with all lights on. After thorough testing, I can pretty much confirm these numbers are close to reality: my unit lasted around 165 hours with Homing Bars only, and 75 hours with all lights on (Wireless/Bluetooth). That is not something one should complain about.
Bottom line? Great to have QMK/VIA support. Battery life is very decent, too.
Gaming and Productivity
If you’re looking at the NuPhy Halo65 V2 as both a gaming and productivity board, it holds up surprisingly well in both worlds. On the gaming side, latency is low — around 3–4 ms per keypress with a rock-solid 1000 Hz polling rate — so inputs register instantly, even in fast shooters. Wireless mode doesn’t slow it down too much (but it’s a bit slower); it stays consistent and reliable without noticeable drops or stutters. However, once the battery goes really low, the connectivity can experience some stuttering.
For day-to-day work, the Lemon switches shine. They’re tactile enough to give you feedback when typing long documents or handling spreadsheets, but still quick and responsive when you’re in a game. That balance makes the board comfortable whether you’re grinding matches or writing for hours. Their wobbliness didn’t bother me much, to be honest. Blush switches have almost no wobble, and they are very comfortable to work with.
It’s not just a pretty keyboard with nice lights; it actually performs where it matters — speed, stability, and feel.
Bottom line? If keycaps wobble (coming from the default switches) doesn’t bother you, this is pretty much spot on everything.
Final Thoughts
I really liked the keyboard — the overall performance, latency, hot-swappability, and great Halo Lights were things I loved the most. I also like experimenting with different switches, keycaps, and recording different sound tests, so this board was like heaven to me.
It’s solid, built well, has great color options, it’s small and portable, and it works in tri-mode. Typing is pleasant and not tiresome, working with it is great, and gaming is at least good.
However, if switch/keycaps wobble bothers you, you should reconsider this board. But that’s actually the only thing I felt underwhelmed by in this keyboard.
Bullet Points
- nice and solid build
- v2 is massively improved over v1
- Pretty low latency and responsiveness in gaming
- mSA keycaps are really nice, GhostBar is the way to go
- Typing is very pleasant on Lemon tactile switches
- Blush Silent switches are indeed very comfortable for those around you
- satisfactory battery life (4000 mAh)
- good support of QMK/VIA
- Gasket mount is pretty stiff
- stable 1000 Hz polling rate, both wired and wireless (not for Bluetooth, which is 125 Hz)
- Great Halo Lights to brighten up the keyboard
- The keyboard looks good with many keycap sets
- All switches except Blush are wobbly, though, but I could live with that
- occasional lags and cut-outs when the battery is really low
Get these goodies from Nuphy with the discount code “airmanthe”
Disclaimer: This review is not a paid endorsement. I want to ensure transparency and let you know that I am not receiving any monetary or otherwise compensation for evaluating or discussing this tech product.
