NuPhy Halo96 V2 Wireless QMK/VIA Mechanical Keyboard

10x wireless speed, 6x new sound mods, over 9000x RGB awesomeness, still 0x compromise.

Many things have changed on Halo96’s V2, even the classic look has taken a major makeover to look more Halo. What has never, and will never change however, is our commitment to only use the bests and the maxed-outs to build the keyboard for our pros and heavy-hitter users.

DESIGN

A glow-rious sight

If there ever was a market segment Halo positions itself in, it is being both a device that can handle every task you throw at it, and an absolute gorgeous looker. Its wavy side columns, solid unibody aluminum frame, and its unabashed light maximalism, all serve to enhance this role. In the design of the V2 we have only doubled down on the investment: the completely redesigned semi-transparent bottom case extends the layer-ness of the Ionic side columns into the third dimension, while the Gem-style nameplate LED brings a fun twist to Halo’s impressive lineup of functional lights. When the lights go on, the bottom case ‘merges’ into the Halo light bands to create the most amazing light effects ever seen on a NuPhy keyboard.

A brighter Halo. Besides the bottom case, the much more powerful LEDs of the Halo96 V2 is the other hero behind the spectacular light display available on it. With 8 different kinds of lights of different illumination styles and placements, Halo96 V2 is well placed to meet the most particular, demanding working and aesthetic needs.

SignalRGB support. A sneak peek of what Halolight is capable of, now fully supporting SignalRGB , you can customize Halolight the same way you do with keybindings and macros in VIA, and control the lighting of other SignalRGB compatible hardwares as well.

5 diverse color choices. Don't worry, the black and white are not going away, yet the Halo character deserves a new interpretation too. Retaining the simplicity of the neutral colorways, the three new themes serve to impart the expressive power of Halolight 2.0 when it is active, and heighten the dualistic beauty of the case in each of its own ways when unilluminated.

TYPING FEEL & SOUND

Hi-Fi Halo

When we hear about a good idea, we steal it, especially if it is from one of our own. Sorry Gem, you will have to share your acclaimed sound stack and gasket mount with big brother Halo, all 6 sound mods of it. From now on, Halo users can enjoy a sound experience and cushioned feel tailor made for a custom keyboard, without having to build one. Sometimes, it is just that simple.

PCB Gasket Mount. A deradicalization from Gem's plate gasket mount, Halo96 V2's PCB gasket mount delivers a more balanced feel and sound.

KEYCAPS

A new height to reach new heights.

Introducing mSA, the high-profile sibling of our much imitated nSA profile, which after more than two years of development has now became available for Halo users. Small tweaks are many: a little adjustment to the SA height for more ergonomics, the larger round surface and symmetric design are a nod to the nSA. What is difficult to miss however, even in darkness, are the light emitting homing bars, illuminated by south-facing LEDs they are designed to be just bright enough to help with the guidance without being distractive.

Finding your way home with the lights. Built with a triple shot injection process, NuPhy's proprietary light-emitting homing bars exploits the south-facing nature of the switches for the illumination, which helps you finding them at much extended ranges. The built-in power saving feature ensures that you will not see in the battery life the immediate difference in the way you interact with the keyboard.

5 diverse color choices. Don't worry, the black and white are not going away, yet the Halo character deserves a new interpretation too. Retaining the simplicity of the neutral colorways, the three new themes serve to impart the expressive power of Halolight 2.0 when it is active, and heighten the dualistic beauty of the case in each of its own ways when unilluminated.

Backlit Battery Life Comparison

* All battery endurance tests were performed with professional battery test software in November, 2023. Each tested product model will run the benchmark for 10 consecutive times, and the average of the benchmark results is used for its endurance rating.

The GhostBar goes.
Sorry we almost forgot it, it is usually too quiet, you know. For those of you who have not heard about the GhostBar, it is our hollow sound suppression spacebar keycap that utilizes a series of small internal chambers to make a sound so similar to other keys that it becomes almost inaudible. We have upgraded it to the mSA profile so it is in even better harmony with the other keys.

Want the front to shine like the bottom?
How about some transparent keycaps in the mSA profile and your keyboard's theme color, shining in the darkness like stars dotting the night sky.

The dark side goes bright. South facing shine through keycaps are awesome, they let out mesmerising lights and pleasant sounds without the physical contact problem, have great switch compatibilities...except that they didn't exist, until now. As the first set of south facing shine through keycaps, bold fonts and audacious colorways are chosen to match its disruptiveness. Coated with an equally groundbreaking technique, Canopus shine-through keycaps will shine on your desktop like never before.

WIRELESS PERFORMANCE

Polling way aheadin the 1000Hz race

We have taken our latency minimization game to a new level on Halo96 V2. Through the combined effort of an state of the art 1000Hz 2.4G SoC and optimization/testing done by our engineers, Halo users can now access the wired-like, pro-gaming level wireless performance on their already OP keyboards.

Truth by numbers told. We did some benchmarks on the new Halo96 V2’s latency performance, against its predecessor and another QMK-based keyboard. Suffice to say, the numbers speak louder and clearer than ever.

Connection Speed Comparison

* The latency tests are conducted with a CMSIS-DAP compliant hardware debug unit, by measuring the time difference between when the Enter key switch is closed, and the key press event is registered on the PC, and subtracting the instrument 's intrinsic delay(provided by the producer) from the measurement. The test results do not account for the pre-travel delays of the key switches, which varies for different types of switches, as the swtich circuits are closed electronically during the tests.

FIRMWARE

Create keybindings without bounds,transform layouts VIA layers.

It only makes sense to extend the great customizability achieved on Halo96 V2’s hardware to its firmware as well. With the open-source QMK/VIA firmware, its endless key mapping, light customization, and other creative possibilities, our hardware’s potential can be truly realized.

Truth by numbers told. We did some benchmarks on the new Halo96 V2’s latency performance, against its predecessor and another QMK-based keyboard. Suffice to say, the numbers speak louder and clearer than ever.

A shortcut to all Mac shortcuts. Just one toggle of the completely redesigned OS switch, right next to the connection mode switch, and you will get access to all the Mac-specific function keys including Do Not Disturb, Spotlight.... Mac-tivate your keyboard has never been easier.

NUPHY SWITCHES

Coming to fruition

Unprecedentedly built with NuPhy-branded housings, the Herb series of switches represents a joint-effort by NuPhy and Gateron to bring technologies and designs from ‘frontier’ switches, such as Gateron’s Baby Kangaroo/Raccoon to the regular switches users, while retaining the quintessence of the original ‘division of labor': a 37gf linear switch, Mint for the heavy typists, a 45gf early actuation linear switch, Raspberry to best serve the gamers, and a 55gf tactile switch Lemon for all those who desire tactility and great sound feedback. All the switches come with a POM stem, 21mm length spring, and the new generation of Gateron factory lubing. Nothing too spicy, but certainly the right amount of flavor for a satisfying typing experience.

CHERRY SWITCHES

Move in silence

Smooth, precise, silent…are we talking about ninja moves or what a silent switch should have been? The new Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top switch, launching on NuPhy, have finally gotten rid of that ‘should’ part. The first silent switch that does not feel like all the clicky grating noises have only became scratchiness under your fingers, the Cherry SRCT relies on its completely redesigned mold, next generation factory lubing developed in cooperation with NuPhy, to achieve smoothness, total absence of noise and scratchiness, solid bottoming out in one elegant, legendary durable Cherry construction.

WRIST REST

A rest unlike the rest

A not so well kept secret about the acrylic twotone rest is they look the best when illuminated by Halo's LED bands. This diffusion of the RGB lights by the acrylic becomes even more impressive with Halolight 2.0's much higher light penetration and brightness. Throw in some nice walnut, beech, and even black-dyed white oak for those desiring a bit extra fancy and style, our most comprehensive selection of Twotone wrist rests has been made available for Halo96 V2.

Twotone wrist rest colors & choices. Acrylic Twotones share the same theme colors as Halo96 V2, for the hardwoods, there are Umber and Burning Gold to match with walnut and beech's chic appearances.

DESKMAT

Bokeh series deskmat

Focus on the screen or the keyboard, the Bokeh deskmat creates a nice out of focus ambience in a color pattern matching your keyboard.

Bokeh deskmats colors & choices. So familiar, yet so distant that only blurry circles, blending into the background can be made out. The themed color variations of the Bokeh deskmats do not aim to disrupt, nor to detach, but to breathe some warm fuzzies on the desktops beneath them.

IN THE BOX

PRE-BUILT KEYBOARD

1 x Halo96 V2 Keyboard
1 x 1.5m (59 inches) Cable
1 x 2.4G Receiver
1 x Keycap/Switch Puller
6 x Extra Keycaps

3 x Extra Switches
1 x Sticker Set
1 x Quick Guide/Poster Download
1 x Q&A Download

TECH SPECS

* Note: 1. Due to technical limitations, renderings of keyboards published by NuPhy are not accurate representations of the final products.

Which Halo96 is right for you?

Halo96 V1

From $139.95

DESIGN

Halolight 1.0
—
—

FIRMWARE

NuPhy Console
—

WIRELESS

500Hz polling rate at 2.4G mode

MOUNT & SOUND

Top Mount
Plate Silicone
—
—
—
Bottom Silicone

KEYCAPS

KOP Profile
Ghostbar
—

SWITCHES

G Pro Red/Brown 2.0
Night Breeze/Rose Glacier
Baby Raccoon/Baby Kangaroo

Halo96 V2

From $139.95

DESIGN

Halolight 2.0
Magnetic Nameplate
Translucent Bottom

FIRMWARE

QMK/VIA
SignalRGB

WIRELESS

1000Hz polling rate at 2.4G mode

MOUNT & SOUND

Gasket Mount
Plate Foam
Switch Pad
Sound Damper
PCB Foam
Bottom Silicone

KEYCAPS

mSA Profile
Ghostbar
LED Homing Bars

SWITCHES

NuPhy Mint/Raspberry/Lemon
Cherry Clear-Top Silent Red
—