Keyboards come and go, but every now and then, one comes along that refuses to blend into the background. Some stand out with cutting-edge features, others with impeccable craftsmanship – but only a few manage to capture both innovation and personality in a single package. NuPhy has been one of my favorite keyboard brands for the past year, consistently delivering high-quality boards that don’t just feel great to type on, but also stand out visually. Their designs always have that extra bit of flair, effortlessly setting them apart from the competition. And with the Kick75, they’ve taken that philosophy to the next level.
At a glance, it looks like a relic from a bygone era, a love letter to the transparent tech of the late ’90s, but beneath its retro shell lies a keyboard that pushes the boundaries of what a low-profile board can be. It’s more than just a flashy design experiment – this thing promises a premium typing experience, gaming-ready performance, and customization options that go beyond the ordinary. Whether it delivers on all those fronts or stumbles under the weight of its ambition is exactly what we’re here to find out. So, let’s dive in.
Nuphy Kick75 and all the accessories are available for purchase over on Nuphy’s website. Amazon link to be added at a later date.
DESIGN
Although the Kick75 is much more than just a pretty design, its aesthetics are undeniably its standout feature. This 75% gasket-mounted keyboard is a real eye-catcher, and while its default color scheme bears a strong resemblance to NuPhy’s previous Air series keyboards, it brings its own colorful, retro twist to the mix.
First and foremost, it’s worth mentioning the Kick75’s chassis, which – unlike some of NuPhy’s more recent keyboards – is made entirely of plastic. While this might disappoint fans of sturdier aluminum builds, I wouldn’t say the Kick75 suffers from inferior construction. On the contrary, the plastic used here is high-quality with a refined matte finish, and the top and bottom segments are flawlessly connected. There’s absolutely no rattling, no loose parts, and nothing is kicking around – everything feels rock solid.
Kick75 is jam-packed with retro inspired designed details.
The advantage of a plastic build is that it gives NuPhy more creative freedom when it comes to design details, and they’ve certainly taken full advantage of that. The most striking feature is the semi-transparent top shell, which subtly reveals some of the internal components while also serving as a beautiful RGB diffuser, allowing the lighting to glow evenly across the entire keyboard. It’s just the right amount of transparency to make the illumination vibrant yet tasteful, enhanced by smoothly animated, numerous preset RGB effects – all available even before you start kicking things up a notch with software customization.
The details don’t stop at the top. While this part of the keyboard is always visible during use, it’s a testament to how much effort NuPhy put into making the Kick75 stand out. The back of the keyboard features two yellow switches—one for powering the keyboard on and off or switching between wired and wireless mode, and another for toggling between Windows and macOS layouts. There’s also a compartment for the wireless dongle, and in keeping with the color scheme, it’s yellow as well.
Nothing is left to chance, and even the switches are saturated in colors.
For an additional kick, there’s a long red rubber strip running along the back, which can be removed to reveal the screws if you ever feel like taking the keyboard apart. The bottom side balances practicality with even more creative flourishes. You get a single-tier adjustable feet, along with rubber grips to keep the keyboard stable – which, of course, are saturated blue to match the aesthetic. But the real cherry on top? A full-length 2D design running across the bottom that looks straight out of a Super Mario-style platformer, making this keyboard a true love letter to retro aesthetics.
The overall impression is further elevated by the gorgeous keycap color scheme and font. As I mentioned, it’s reminiscent of NuPhy’s Air series, but here, the retro aesthetic is even more pronounced with an extra saturation kick to key buttons like Enter, Space, and Escape, which come in blue, yellow, and green, respectively. A splash of red is reserved for the beautiful volume knob in the upper right corner, featuring an X-shaped design that feels like a subtle nod to the colorful buttons of old-school game controllers – back when they weren’t just monochrome but proudly flaunted a full spectrum of colors.
The volume knob is multifunctional, and it looks great to boot.
Speaking of keycaps, this is the perfect moment to mention that the Kick75 is actually a hybrid keyboard in the way it handles switches. Essentially, it supports both low-profile and high-profile switches, making it one of the few keyboards that can truly cater to both preferences. The Kick75 can be purchased in either low-profile or high-profile configurations, and NuPhy also offers a conversion kit that allows users to upgrade from one to the other. Ultimately, it feels like, with the Kick75, NuPhy aimed to merge the look and feel of both their Gem/Halo and Air lineup keyboards – and they succeeded.
The conversion process itself is fairly straightforward, with the kit including all the necessary tools and instructions. While I doubt most users will actually go through the trouble of swapping profiles, it’s a nice option that adds extra value for those who love tinkering with their keyboards.
The low profile variant of Kick75 feels excellent to type on.
Of course, which profile you prefer is entirely up to personal taste, but for me, the Kick75 felt most at home as a low-profile keyboard, and that’s how I used it for the majority of my testing. The Gateron Brown Nano switches paired with nSA-profile keycaps turned out to be an awesome combo that just feels great. While gaming on it is absolutely fine, the Kick75 truly shines when it comes to typing—not just because of the feel but also due to its honestly incredible sound profile, which I’d describe as somewhere between thocky and creamy. Seriously, it’s that good – and even better considering it requires no modding or tinkering with the internals to sound that way.
NuPhy clearly envisioned the Kick75 as an evolution of the barebones keyboard kit concept. At its core, you’re purchasing a pre-built low or high-profile keyboard, but beyond that, there are a whole range of optional purchases and customizations.
Gateron Brown Nano switches paired with the internals have an amazing sound profile.
The first, and perhaps the most jarring, is the fact that you can choose between two firmware versions – one that’s customizable via NuPhy’s own IO software and another that supports QMK & VIA but comes at a higher price. Then, there’s a long list of additional accessories: two types of extra plates, two kinds of shine-through keycaps, two color schemes for standard keycaps, conversion kits, a wrist rest, and even a matching desk mat.
This setup swings between confusing and outright strange – some of these accessories feel like they should be included in the base package, yet they’re separate purchases. It can be a bit unclear what you actually need to get the advertised experience. Still, it’s hard to complain when the low-profile version of this keyboard (without all the extras) goes for just $90, offering this level of quality at such a low price.
PERFORMANCE
The Kick75 doesn’t fall short when it comes to performance. Like other NuPhy keyboards, it offers three connection modes: wired via USB-C, and wireless via Bluetooth 5.0, and a 2.4GHz receiver. Thanks to its 1000Hz polling rate in wired and 2.4GHz wireless modes, combined with 1ms input latency, it delivers near-instant responsiveness, making it just as reliable for gaming as it is for productivity. The Bluetooth mode, on the other hand, operates at 125Hz, making it more suited for casual use rather than competitive gaming.
The performance doesn’t lag behind the design at all.
For those who prefer a cable-free setup, the Kick75 offers impressive battery life, but it’s important to note that there’s a key difference between the NuPhy IO and QMK/VIA variants – not just in terms of customization software, but also battery capacity. The NuPhy IO version comes with a 2500mAh battery, whereas the QMK/VIA variant, which I tested, features a larger 4000mAh battery, extending its overall longevity between charges.
With RGB fully enabled, the 4000mAh version can last you about a full week of usage before needing to recharge. If you prefer a more minimal setup with no backlight, battery life jumps dramatically. So much so that I’ve currently been using it for for nearly three weeks and am still going strong, making it one of the longest-lasting wireless mechanical keyboards in its category.
Battery life, especially on the QMK/VIA variant, is top-of-the-class.
Beyond battery life, this version of the Kick75 also benefits from deep programmability via VIA, one of the most powerful open-source firmware solutions for keyboards. While the NuPhy IO variant offers a more streamlined experience, VIA unlocks full remapping, macro creation, multiple key layers, and per-key RGB customization. While it is more expensive and setting it up requires an extra step compared to NuPhy IO, once configured, it delivers unmatched flexibility for those who love to fine-tune every detail of their keyboard.
CONCLUSION
While the Kick75 doesn’t quite surpass the Gem80 in every aspect – I still consider that to be NuPhy’s best keyboard overall – this one undoubtedly has a broader appeal. It’s not just for gamers or those drawn to its retro-inspired aesthetic, but also for keyboard enthusiasts who appreciate a high-quality product with ample room for customization. And customization is where the Kick75 truly shines, both in terms of hardware and software.
Yes, the optional purchases can feel a bit overwhelming and, at times, confusing, but even when you strip them away, the Kick75 on its own stands as one of the best keyboards NuPhy has ever released. With its impressive build, versatile feature set, and an exceptional price-to-performance ratio, it’s easily their finest low-profile keyboard to date – and a standout in the category as a whole.
