NuPhy Gem80

The Gem80 is NuPhy's first custom keyboard, sold as a barebones kit with switches and keycaps added separately. NuPhy's page lists an 88-key TKL with a CNC 6063 aluminum top and a thick polycarbonate bottom chosen for wireless reception, an FR4 plate by default with PC, POM and aluminum plates optional, hot-swap sockets for 3-pin and 5-pin switches, south-facing RGB, plate-mounted stabilizers, QMK/VIA, and gasket or top mounting. The tri-mode version carries a 4,000 mAh battery with 1,000 Hz polling over wired and 2.4 GHz and 125 Hz over Bluetooth. NuPhy lists 1,120 g. Tom's Hardware called it a great introduction to custom keyboards that arrives mostly built, needing only switches and keycaps, and noted aluminum top, polycarbonate bottom and an FR4 plate. How-To Geek, building it with Mint switches, loved the deep, firm sound and the rigid frame, and found the preset-only lighting limited. Tom's Guide was more critical: it had firmware issues, including repeat keypresses fixed by a flash, found the south-facing RGB looked like isolated spots of light, and said the spacebar wobbles significantly with NuPhy keycaps because the plate-mounted stabilizers allow too much vertical movement. The board can be rebuilt with several mounting styles and plates, so the feel changes with your choices. Tom's Guide thought the other NuPhy boards make more sense unless you want to mod. It is aimed at people who want a custom-style board without a from-scratch build.