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A sixty-percent low profile keyboard is a great travel companion or partner to your laptop. As long as you don’t need a row of function keys, this layout can be a great option. Often, however, it’s missing something I use all the time: arrow keys. The NuPhy Air60 promises to provide the same great typing feel and overall experience as the larger Air75 and Air96, and they’ve even included arrow keys! But, they do come at a cost.

The Good

The Air60 has a lot in common with it’s larger siblings, the Air75 and Air96, though not everything of course. In terms of positive commonalities, the Air60 offers the same quality typing feel and sound with the same switch options as the Air75 (Gateron Low Profile 2.0 or NuPhy’s separately-purchased options) and PBT keycaps. Outside of clicky switches, low profile keyboards lean more towards a clacky sound profile vs a thocky one, in general. There is not nearly as much open space in a low profile keyboard for sound to resonate and generally thinner keycaps (or at least less keycap coverage) also mean less of that deeper sound we tend to call “thock” and more of the higher-pitched sound we call “clack”.

NuPhy’s Air series I think provides a nice balanced sound for someone that enjoys the sound of mechanical keyboards with linear or tactile switches. Stabilizers are properly lubricated and not rattly. It might seem a tad loud to someone used to low profile membrane keyboards like an Apple Magic Keyboard. I noticed that NuPhy’s Aloe linear switches (the lightest of the options at 37gf actuation force) seem to sound louder than the other options, with the Wisteria tactile seeming to be the quietest. NuPhy includes samples of each of the low profile switches in the box in case you want to test them out, and because the switches can be hot-swapped, changing them is easy.

Connectivity is the same as the other Air series keyboards with 3 Bluetooth connections and one 2.4GHz wireless receiver for up to 4 separate wireless devices, and the wired USB-C connection. The only difference with the Air60 is that the USB connection is on the right side of the keyboard instead of the top/back.

Portability of the Air60 is about as good as it gets for a keyboard that is also fun to type on. The removable feet also allow you to set the Air60 right on top of your laptop keyboard without pressing any keys, so you can use it even if you don’t have space to spread out.

Lastly, if you like RGB lighting, the Air60 has 20 different modes to choose from. Although the included keycaps are not shine-through, the lighting is still nice if you prefer to keep them on. With lights on the brightest setting, the 2500mAh is expected to last about 2 days of use. I have no trouble using the Air60 for a couple weeks of intermittent use with the lights off.

The Not So Good

There’s one tradeoff that came with the arrow keys in this compact layout: the right shift key. It’s a single-sized key rather than being 1.5 or 2 keys in width, so if you’re used to that like I am, it will result in errors. I have found this to be fairly frustrating, having spent my whole typing life using larger-sized right shift keys. If you’re used to a compact layout like this, then it would be a non-issue.

The only additional significant con is NuPhy Console. NuPhy’s keyboards are not QMK/VIA compatible – you must use NuPhy Console for any direct access to the firmware for remapping, macros, and fine control of the RGBs. Unfortunately NuPhy Console is only available on Windows currently, and if you are a Windows user, the experience is somewhat clunky. If you’re a Mac user, then any remapping will need to be done with third-party software like Karabiner-Elements.

The detachable feet are my only other minor frustration with the Air60 (and Air75). While I do appreciate the ability to place these keyboards right on my laptop without the feet attached, small detachable pieces on a portable product tend to get lost easily. The magnets that hold them on are not particularly strong, so if you throw the Air60 in a backpack with the feet attached, I would wager it’s unlikely to come out with the feet still attached. I personally would like to see fold-flat feet like the ones on the Air96 instead.

Overall, if the few cons noted below are not dealbreakers for you, I can easily recommend the Air60. It delivers a great typing feel, six different switch options, and excellent connectivity at an affordable price.

See the Air60 at NuPhy

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