Under Armour wants to be a serious running brand. Last year they demonstrated that intention with a suite of five types of running shoe that catered for almost every run. They were the first running shoes that genuinely performed well. They were also all connected, tracking and sending your running data to your phone. This year the Baltimore-based company has added to that line-up with the new HOVR Machina. It’s the latest shoe to join UA’s line up of connected, performance running shoes but how does it perform? I tested them out for The Run Testers and you can scroll down to watch my Under Armour HOVR Machina review below.
Chips as standard, no gimmicks
Under Armour is finally getting serious about running. All of its running shoes will now come connected, with chips embedded in the soles. But when we spoke to the designers here at the company’s Baltimore HQ they were keen to express that they’re not about gimmicks. They want to make shoes that runners take seriously.
So what’s can you expect from their newest footwear…
👍 The smarts: Sensors in the soles track your important run stats including distance and pace along with running form metrics cadence, ground contact time, foot strike angle (where your fit hits the ground fore, mid or heel) and stride length
👉 It only works with the MapMyRun app: Stats are fired to your phone via Bluetooth but only currently to this app.
👍 Watch support is coming in 2020: You can use the smart watch versions of MapMyRun already but at the moment that doesn’t include your form metrics. We’re told that’s changing soon. And you’ll be able to get your foot-tracked stats onto your Garmin and Suunto too.
👍 Real-time audio feedback: Like some smart soles and pods we’ve seen, from February you’ll now also get real-time coaching but currently only on cadence. We’re told other metrics will follow. At the moment, you’ll need to run with your phone and headphones for this. But once the smartwatch update hits, you’ll be able to run with a shoes, watch, headphones combo and leave your phone at home.
👉 There’s no GPS in the shoes: Instead they piggyback your phone’s GPS. However, you can run phone free and motion sensors in the shoe will track your distance and pace. And in our tests there was a good level of accuracy.
👉 Lots of cushion: They boast 20% more HOVR foam – that’s UA’s foam tech – than any other UA shoe with aim of creating a super-cushioned ride. The stack height is 25mm – 33 mm.
👉 There’s a propulsion plate: It’s more a wishbone from than a full foot plate like you’ll get in some shoes. It is springy.
👎 Weight: 295g in men’s UK size 8.5.
