The New Balance 1080 line has long been a popular option with runners looking for a dependable, durable daily trainer, but it was overdue a refresh with the last few models of the shoe mostly tweaking the design rather than making substantial changes.
That refresh has arrived with the New Balance 1080v15, which uses an all-new midsole foam called Infinion and is a lighter, softer shoe than its predecessor. While it doesn’t go on sale until early 2026, I’ve been able to get out for a test run in the 1080v15, using it to run a half-marathon for my Sunday long run.
I rated the New Balance 1080v14 as one of the best running shoes available, and while there are some welcome updates to the 1080v15, there are some aspects of the older shoe I miss, and the 1080v14 is now popping up in sales.
Here’s what I like and dislike about the 1080v15 after one run.
Like #1: The Infinion foam is soft and bouncy
The star feature of the 1080v15 is the new midsole foam, which is a supercritical (gas-infused) material called Infinion. It’s lighter, softer, and delivers more energy return than the Fresh Foam X material used on the 1080v14, and has a poppier ride.
It’s not the liveliest foam I’ve tried in a daily trainer, but the 1080v15’s midsole offers a nice balance of comfort and bounce, and the Infinion foam is also impressively light.
Like #2: The 1080v15 is lighter than the 1080v14
Thanks largely to the updated midsole, the 1080v15 weighs just 9.2oz in my US men’s size 9.5, which is impressive for a high stack shoe like this — it stands 40mm high at the heel and 34mm high at the forefoot.
That’s almost a full ounce lighter than the 1080v14 in my size, despite the fact that the 1080v15 is a higher stack shoe than its predecessor. Weight isn’t everything, but the lighter design means the 1080v15 feels better-suited to faster paces, without sacrificing any comfort.
Like #3: It feels like a versatile daily trainer
Many brands are going all-in on cushioning with their top daily trainers these days, with giant stacks of foam that deliver a lot of comfort, but create heavy shoes that are only really well-suited for easy runs, in my opinion.
The 1080v15 bucks this trend by being a lighter and more versatile shoe than most. I mixed up my paces during the half-marathon I ran, and while it’s still comfortable for easy runs, it has enough pop for steady and tempo paces as well.
Dislike #1: The price has gone up
The New Balance 1080v15 will cost you $170 / £170 when it goes on sale on 15 January 2026, which is a small rise in price on the 1080v14, which is $165 / £170.
However, there are certainly cheaper options to consider in its category, like the Puma Velocity Nitro 4, Asics Novablast 5, and New Balance’s own Rebel v5.
Dislike #2: The foam firmed up over the course of the run
My one concern with the Infinion midsole was that it lost a little of its spring over the course of the half-marathon I ran in the shoe. It felt like the soft foam compressed a bit, especially in the forefoot.
That might bode poorly for the overall durability of the shoe, but more testing will be needed to check that out. I will say that higher stack shoes with more resilient midsole foams like the Nike Vomero Plus and Brooks Glycerin Max do retain their bounce better on long runs.
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