I tried this NuPhy mechanical keyboard, and now I never want to touch my laptop again

Experience with a mechanical keyboard, the NuPhy Gem80, enhances typing pleasure at work.

NuPhy Gem80 keyboard I used for a day. [WOO JI-WON]

[GIVE IT A GO]

At this moment — fingers gliding across a mechanical keyboard with pillowy sound and a texture so soft it feels like walking on clouds — I feel like I outrank even our editor-in-chief with 30 years of experience under her belt.

In reality, I’m one of the youngest and most junior employees in the office. But with this keyboard? I’m royalty.

Surrounded by clunky, dull-black office models that thud and rattle, my sleek beige keyboard with a few classy brown keys feels like it belongs in a completely different league. I’m pretty sure a few co-workers have cast envious side glances.

And the lights — oh, the lights. A rainbow glow dances softly under the keys. It’s not disco bright, but just subtle enough to make me feel like I have unlocked a secret superpower.

I borrowed this NuPhy Gem80 from a colleague who owns three variations — yes, three — just for work. He bought this one online about a year ago. It’s a low-noise keyboard with a refined thocky sound, no number pad on the side. The cosmic mocha-colored keyboard features cherry silent red clear-top switches (45 gf linear) with 3.7 ± 0.2 millimeters of key travel. It offers QMK/VIA compatibility and comes with an aluminum top case and a polycarbonate bottom case. The chassis is 141.3 mm (5.56 inches) long and 358.1 mm wide, with weight of 1,120 grams (2.5 pounds).

As a reporter, I carry a Samsung Galaxy Book handed down from a more senior reporter and spend most of my shift typing on thin, shallow and loud keys. I never realized their volume until I caught people giving me side-eye.

NuPhy Gem80 keyboard I used for a day. [WOO JI-WON]

So I sat down and plugged the keyboard into my laptop via USB-C. Though it took me some time to get used to the experience, and my screen felt a mile away at first, I was soon gliding across the keyboard with no problem.

This keyboard, in contrast, is best described as foamy. The co-worker sitting closest to me said she could barely hear me typing on it. “It sounds like cotton candy,” she told me. She said it made her want to try typing on this beauty, and honestly, I felt that deeply. It had me itching to type too — though, let’s be clear, not enough to volunteer for overtime.

Even the keycaps were a game changer. Unlike flat, boring and square-shaped standard keys, these were slightly rounded and concave, perfectly matching the natural curve of my fingertips. Typing felt luxurious, like the keyboard had been custom-made just for me. Even though nothing else about my workspace had changed — same people, same desks and same fluorescent lights — this keyboard made work more enjoyable.

I sometimes felt the urge to go full Beethoven on it, but since it wasn’t mine and I was in the office, I kept my typing polite and respectful. If I had my own at home, I would have been tapping like a jazz pianist — finger by finger, purely enjoying the sound and feel to the fullest.

NuPhy Gem80 keyboard I used for a day. [WOO JI-WON]

Would I buy this keyboard? I wish I could. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great product. But it retails for $150, which is a steep price for a keyboard amateur like me.

Also, I’m constantly on the move, rarely typing in the same place for long. While some reporters may be able to justify setting up a keyboard everywhere they make camp, that’s not quite my style. But if I could find something with a similar thocky feel in the $40 to $50 range — and I did spot quite a few while browsing keyboard shops — I’d happily bring that joy home, even if it’s just for a few days a week. And if you’re an office worker or someone working from home, glued to your laptop or PC for hours, I’d definitely recommend this keyboard — or even one from a higher price tier — if you're seeking similar benefits.

By the way, this goes out to companies: Office keyboards are ancient, and maybe it’s time for an upgrade. Companies should consider investing in quality mechanical keyboards to boost worker productivity. Better yet, rotate a few different models among employees every month to keep things fresh. After all, once you get used to something, it loses its magic — like my once beloved laptop keyboard. I loved it at first, worked harder because of it, but now? Meh.

This mechanical keyboard experience also made me finally understand what the office workers I've interviewed mean when they talk about “the joy in work.” It didn’t just make typing bearable — it genuinely made me want to type.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]