NuPhy Gem80 Review - So Many Options!

The NuPhy Gem80 is a more customizable TKL from NuPhy that includes four mounting options and has three optional plates, coming as a barebones kit. It's a step up from the Halo series and a great option if you like this layout!
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FTC Disclaimer: This video is not sponsored however NuPhy sent me the Gem80 free of charge in exchange for an honest review. Product/service links included above may be affiliate links, which means I can make a small commission through purchases. This helps to support my channel and website. If you so choose, feel free not to use the links provided.
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Specs & Features
04:08 Assembly
04:38 Sound - PC Plate Mint Switch All Foam
05:18 Pros
09:32 Neutral
13:03 Cons
14:05 Recommendation
16:07 Sound - PC Plate Mint Switch No Foam
16:31 Sound - FR4 Mint Switch No Foam
16:59 Sound - FR4 Mint Switch All Foam
17:22 Sound - POM Night Breeze All Foam

[@sjsy7965]

Very detailed review! Thank you. (I bought a mint switch and the basic body kit)

[@quant-man698]

Would be a cool comparison. Really nice work SemiPro, I really appreciate it.

[@semiprotech]

Thank you!

[@maxonsky7572]

great review as always! ! one of the best keyboards i have ever had!

[@NickM86]

Saw that Nuphy was releasing this and I appreciate your thoughts. Have been using an Air75 but looking to get a Halo96 now. Don't think I am at that level of keyboard modification for the Gem80 yet. Good review!

[@toleeteam]

As always, excellent review, Thank you

[@semiprotech]

Thank you!

[@KaibillKaan]

Between this and the Air75V2, NuPhy has done a great job at getting attention with these kb. Hope they consider making a HE keyboard. Great review, very thorough!

[@MarbsMusic]

I'm currently running a Q1 Pro on my Mac Studio but ordered one of these with keycaps & raspberry switches to see if I want to switch. I did get the extra PC plate to play with the sound. I wanted to note that while all AL I can't stand the keycaps or the out of the box sound on the Keychrons. They do offer different plate options and an "acoustic upgrade kit" that to me is a must to get a really good sound out of those boards, just order everything at once to save on the crazy shipping costs. I do love the flexy nature of them though and we have 4 different Keychron boards thus I'm not hating on Keychron or anything it's just what I have experienced. Not sure I will like the profile on the caps but 100 switches and matching caps for an additional $30 seemed like a steal. Great review and you gave me some extra stuff to think about, definitely like the sound of the POM plate wishing I had ordered one of those as well!

[@metalskinn460]

I only wish that this keyboard existed when I started this hobbie 3 years ago! Would have loved the options for an affordable and working tri-mode back then. Great review and great keyboard.

[@nicholash8021]

They thought of everything except a split spacebar. Great review.

[@alexjp9056]

We definitely need a comparison with the Q3 max, no one made a video on it. Considering features and price this falls in line with keychron q3 max and luminkey 80

[@BudaSuyasa]

Super detailed review! I will stick with my Halo75 and Air75v2 for now. But still, consider getting this one in the future.

[@danielrobinson8766]

Considering getting the Halo75 or the Air75v2 and I see you have both. If you were to recommend one, which do you prefer?

[@BudaSuyasa]

@@danielrobinson8766 both board served me so well, but if i have to choose, i would pick Air75 V2. It's lighter, with VIA and compact. Easier for me to use it for mobile.

[@m4nc1n1]

4:44 Sounds like my Keychron Q5 with Gateron V2 Reds (Work Keyboard). I love NuPhy. They were my gateway for >$100 keyboards with the Halo 95 and then the Air 75. Now I have way too many KBs, lol.

[@SoftKitty0930]

I actually have a Q3 MAX and ordered a gem 80 anyway because of the additional customization options for the gem 80.

[@DarkLOLable]

You can send me the Q3 MAX if you want ;3

[@Dparrey]

At first I was a bit mixed on the aesthetic but its growing on me. It has the cute bubbly look but isnt a flat key profile. Also coming to realise that the super neat TKL with nice neat rows and clusters is just a bit refreshing compared to all the 75% layouts trying different ways to mash those keys in awkwardly.

[@nezzivancic3644]

Looks great. I am too happy with my Halo 96 to replace it, but might try out the lemon switches at some point.

[@cadosbeene]

I appreciated your detailed sound comparison with the plates. I now have a better idea if its worth spending extra for the additional plates.

[@semiprotech]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mishmishb]

I'd very interested in the comparison between this and the Q3 Max, in particular with regards to the height of the keycaps on the Q3 Max! Those KSA keycaps have always been a big turn off for me regarding Keychron's higher end keyboards, so I'd be interested to hear your perspective :)

[@addium3151]

Please do a q3 max vs gem 8p comparison, that would be so helpful

[@apocalypse_frau]

On the tri-mode version, is the wireless dongle stored in a designated slot within the case (perhaps behind the badge)?

[@FisK919]

Have you tried the raspberry switches? I’m not sure I can tell the difference in sound between the raspberry and mint switches. I like the more marbley sound of both. You have any input on which are better? In another review I think the raspberries sound slightly more marbley and low pitched. It could be the difference in mics used tho. Theyre both linear.

[@MADpack]

Man I have a massive question it says that the keys cost 15 extra but how can one choose the colour of them? Is that like a separate purchase otherwise is just the regular purchase?

[@Ch4osWe4veR]

I currently have the Halo65 with Rose Glaciers and I really like it, but I want to get into more the custom realm. Because of my current good experience with Nuphy I want to stick with them and get the Gem80. It sounds like Lemon switches would be perfect for me. My first mech keyboard was a Keychron with Gateron Browns. I like the tactility but they felt a little light for me and I had some accidental presses when resting on home row. The Rose Glaciers solve that, but after long periods of typing the heavier actuation can get a little fatiguing. The Lemons being in the middle of those sounds perfect. Interestingly I actually ordered the Cosmic Mocha MSA keycaps and the transparent Crystal accent keys when they came out and installed them on my Halo65 and I really like their profile and look, so I will use the $15 I save in already having the keycaps by going for another plate material, I'm thinking aluminum, which after watching some comparison videos may get me to my goal of getting somewhere in the middle of thocky and clacky with the soft silicone sleeve gaskets on, and the feel I think I want which is a slightly 'floaty' feeling plate with some give but that doesn't have too much flex/bend itself which I can't help but feel cheapens the experience a bit after having used a lot of cheap membrane and laptop keyboards that flexed a lot in the past. I will have to play with foams to see which configuration I like better, either all foams to tame the aluminum plate or maybe minus the plate foam if i get too much "thud". I love that almost all the options are included to mess around with and get accustomed to custom keyboard building, it seems like a great first kit for a beginner like me, while on my 3rd mech keeb it will be my first custom.

[@retroman541]

I see that you have already edited your comment but I think that readers would appreciate a minute spent inserting paragraph breaks. The large block of text is much more difficult to read in its current state. . . And I did not finish it.

[@syrupsweater]

Would have bought one of these but i got a cstm80 instead. Would love to see a three way of cstm80, gem80 and Q3 max if your wallet can survive it

[@switchprocontrollersplatoo7240]

A gem96 would possibly be the best 1800 I can think of

[@jacobhaehn]

Dang, wish this came in a 96% layout!

[@CThienV]

Keychron q5 max?

[@cadosbeene]

Nuphy Halo 96 v2 is outttt so it has more color options similar to Gem80

[@neilr6038]

My Mystic Indigo Gem80 arrived today and it's gorgeous. The overall feel is very solid - somewhat better than the Keychron K8 Pro that I'd been using. For me, the bluetooth is unusable with my Mac Studio (no Windows box for comparison). It causes my other bluetooth devices, specifically my trackpad, to basically go dead for a minute at a time and repeats. Switching to the 2.4GHz connection resolves this, but I'm seeing a lot of double-typing. I've never experienced this with either the Keychron K8 Pro or the NuPhy Air75 V2 that I use with my work Mac (and another Apple trackpad). Hopefully, there will be a firmware update to address these quirks in the not too distant future.

[@semiprotech]

How close was your 2.4GHz receiver? I actually did not have this issue at my usual distance of about 3ft away. I did have that problem with the Air V2 series but my Gem80 has worked without any issue at a typical distance to the receiver. I wonder if the connection is sensitive to different types of interference that can vary in everyone's setup.

[@neilr6038]

From the keyboard to the back of the Studio (where the dongle is plugged in) is about 18 inches. I haven't tried the 2.4GHz receiver with my Air75 V2 because the bluetooth works reliably, which is also why I was surprised to encounter the issue with the Gem80. Barely related: are USB-C dongles going to become a thing? My Studio has a USB-A port, but my MacBook doesn't. BTW, I bought the Air75 V2 after watching your review. It's my first low profile keyboard and I've been quite happy with it. Thanks for that 🙂@@semiprotech

[@retroman541]

By this time you may have learned that the double-press issue is a software bug. NuPhy has acknowledged the bug and is working on fixing it. As far as the Bluetooth issue, the Mac Mini/Studio designs may have problems related the internal placement of the Bluetooth and WiFi antennas. I first ran into it with a 2012 Intel Mac Mini and an external HDD enclosure. I suggest checking out the pertinent Reddit subforums to find out how other are others are dealing with it. I have had good results using Anker USB-C to USB-A adapters but they only come with at least a tiny length of integratesdcable. CablesToGo has a USB 3.0 (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB-C® to USB-A Adapter Converter M/F without a cable for $12.

[@grimer1805]

Does Nuphy offer shine through key caps for this?

[@MrVauxs]

No

[@MyChannel-vm6dw]

WHY do these manufacturers not have see-through keycaps when they offer RGB?!!! So dumb.

[@retroman541]

There are many reports in reviews and forums of unintended repeat characters and other typing input issues. A firmware update did not fix the problems. I would suggest postponing purchasing the Gem80 until NuPhy successfully addresses them.

[@kungfupandas1]

Have you experienced this?

[@retroman541]

@@kungfupandas1 Not personally as I do not own a Nuphy. But I have read about it on keyboard forums and it's been mentioned in a number of reputable KZbin reviews. Since at least one firmware update did not fix the issue, I am concerned that the problem is with the design or build quality of the PCB. That would require a warranty repair and/or recall to address properly. It's a shame because I'm certain that there are others who would otherwise get a Gem80 except for this issue.

[@kungfupandas1]

@@retroman541 thank you. It's a Shane because it's on the higher end of budget. I ended up going with a Galaxy 80.

[@rumpusRoom_]

Noice