I own several mechanical keyboards, but recently, many of the new releases have been pretty boring to me, even though getting a nice mechanical keyboard has been easier and cheaper than ever before. That’s what initially pushed me into looking at low-profile keyboards, as they look and feel very different from a high-profile mechanical keyboard. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a creamy and thocky high-profile keyboard, I just wanted to try something a little different.

After a month of watching low-profile keyboard reviews, I ended up choosing to buy the NuPhy Air75 V3 with Blush Nano switches. 

Design and build

The Air75 V3 has a clean design with enough personality to avoid looking generic. The colorful accent keycaps add some visual pop, while the clean lettering and aluminum bezel keep it polished.

The lower case is plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap. The keyboard feels sturdy but not unnecessarily heavy. A full aluminum case feels more premium, but the current construction strikes a good balance between weight and build quality.

I also ended up preferring the taller knob. The low-profile knob would be ideal for traveling inside a bag, but I found it awkward to rotate with one finger, and pinching it with two fingers often caused my fingers to hit against the neighboring keys. The taller knob is much more practical for adjusting volume or other controls.

Typing feel and sound

This was my first low-profile keyboard, but I was able to adapt to the shorter travel distance much faster than I expected. I reached my usual typing speed without much trouble, and the PBT keycaps are made of high quality plastic and feel good to type on.

The Blush Nano silent linear switches are quiet and have a deep, thumpy sound. The gasket mount, polycarbonate plate, foam, and pads help produce a softened typing experience without noticeable metallic ping.

The bottom-out feel is slightly mushy. Personally, I ended up enjoying it, but I can see why some people would dislike it. The switches are also not equally smooth. Some feel noticeably smoother than others, which makes the overall experience less consistent.

The stabilizers are generally well lubed, although my spacebar still has a small amount of rattle even after I added dielectric grease. I probably will have to do other mods to it like the Holee Mod or Band-Aid Mod.

Connectivity, battery, and software

The keyboard supports Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless, and wired USB-C connections. All three have worked reliably for me, and I haven’t experienced any connection or latency problems during gaming or regular use. Battery life has been excellent with the RGB lights turned off.

The browser-based NuPhyIO software has also been smooth and easy to use. Rebinding keys, updating the drivers, and customizing the lighting were all straightforward. I’m not a power user in this area though, so I can’t say whether it would satisfy someone who prefers VIA or QMK.

Who I’d recommend it to

I’d recommend the NuPhy Air75 V3 with Blush Nano to someone who wants a quiet, comfortable low-profile keyboard with reliable wireless connectivity, strong battery life, and a design that looks clean and not too flashy.

I’d be more cautious about recommending it to anyone who strongly prefers near-perfect switch smoothness and consistency, shine-through keycaps, or advanced VIA/QMK customization. In that case, it may be worth looking at low-profile keyboards that use the Kailh low-profile switches, such as some Lofree and IQUNIX boards. I would love to try some of these in the future. 

For anyone interested, I wrote longer versions of this review on Substack and Medium, but I’m happy to answer some questions you may have about the keyboard here too.

Have you used the NuPhy Air75 V3 or another low-profile keyboard? Did you enjoy the shorter travel and softer bottom-out of the Blush Nano switches, or do you prefer the feel of a traditional mechanical keyboard?