NuPhy Kick75 officially launches with surprisingly affordable price, ample customisation, and retro gaming looks
NuPhy has finally launched the actual pre-order for the NuPhy Kick75 after teasing the innovative new "hybrid-profile" mechanical keyboard a number of weeks ago. The highlight feature of the Kick75 is its compatibility with low-profile and full-height mechanical switches.
While the details were murky about how switching between low-profile and full-height mode would work, the newly updated product page sheds some light on how the switch will work and what potential customers will need to buy in order to make the switch. There are also some confusing aspects about the Kick75, though, like NuPhy's choice to offer the keyboard in two different firmware options.
NuPhy Kick75 price
- Kick75 Low, NuPhyIO: $89.99
- Kick75 Low, QMK/VIA: $109.99
- Kick75 High, NuPhyIO: $99.99
- Kick75 High, QMK/VIA: $119.99
Without any accessories or customisation, the Kick75 comes in four different variants. Buyers can obviously choose from both low- and high-profile kits, but NuPhy also offers the Kick75 with either QMK/VIA firmware or with its own proprietary NuPhyIO firmware, which costs less for some reason.
NuPhy offers the Kick75 in four different high- and low-profile switch options: Red (linear), Brown (light tactile), Silver (tactile), and Blush (long-travel linear).
The Kick75 ships with either nSA low-profile keycaps with concave tops and green accents or mSA full-height keycaps, which are a variation on the popular SA profile with slightly lower key heights.
Aside from the unique design and aesthetics, the NuPhy Kick75 is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery in the QMK version and a 2,500 mAh battery in the NuPhyIO version, which NuPhy claims will provide 294 hours of battery life with the per-key RGB backlighting off and 60 hours with the backlighting enabled. The Kick75 features both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity in addition to the USB type-C port, and it's unclear whether NuPhy is quoting Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz battery life.
NuPhy Kick75 profile switching kits and procedure
When NuPhy first announced the Kick75, it was unclear how the switching would work. All that was shown was that an alternative top case, switches, and some internal hardware would need to be swapped out. The pre-order page for the NuPhy Kick75, however, provides more details about how NuPhy's new hybrid design. It looks like the Kick75 uses a PCB gasket mount, which allows just the plate foam and top case to be swapped out to complete the switching process. NuPhy has even engineered the stock stabilisers to be usable in both configurations, which is no small feat.
This is an interesting detail for two reasons. For starters, it allows NuPhy to offer a switching kit with minimal hardware — just a different top case and foam for between the PCB — thereby reducing the cost to those who do want to try both profile options. Secondly, hot-swap low- and high-profile mechanical switches have different plate height requirements. Previous attempts at standardising the switch pin layout, which NuPhy previously tried with the Nos75, always required different plates, mounts, or entire bottom cases. The simple switch to a PCB gasket mount enables the Kick75 to get around the plate height difference without having to swap out multiple injection moulded components.
The profile swap kit for the Kick75 includes just a taller top case and a thicker foam sheet, meaning NuPhy can offer the swap kit at minimal cost (discounted by 30% to $19 with a pre-order of the Kick75). Of course, buyers will also need to buy extra switches of the alternative profile, but many mechanical keyboard enthusiasts will already have at least one extra switch set lying around, so buying a Low Kick75 and a swap kit should get them all the way there.
It's worth noting that the full-height version of the Kick75 uses standard five-pin Cherry MX-style switches, like the Epomaker Wisteria Tactile switches, which are available on Amazon for as little as $11.99 for a set of 30 switches. Meanwhile, the low-profile Kick75 configuration uses a new Gateron Nano switch, which uses the same pin arrangement as the full-height switches, making the ones in the stock Kick75 the only low-profile switches currently available for the hybrid-profile keyboard. This means that anyone who wants the low-profile switches should probably buy the Low configuration, since it's not clear how long the new switch standard will remain in production.
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