We have not reviewed a lot of shoes from Under Armour over here before, so excited to check out the HOVR Velociti 2, one of their flagship connected road runners. When we say connected we mean just that, the shoe is connected to a mobile app that provides you data on your performance. We have seen these before from other companies, but interesting that under armor comes to the table with this offering as well. Given their acquisition of MapMyRun you can start to see where they’re headed.
Construction: Upper
The upper is made of a full engineered mesh that breathes reasonably well and, and fits the foot snugly. They did leave some room in the toebox which is nice. It is a decently designed upper, with a nice mix of support and freedom.
Construction: Midsole
The midsole on the HOVR Velociti 2 is really where the technology lives, both figuratively and technically. It uses a high compression mesh-based “web” designed EVA that they have dubbed HOVR. Obviously, the technology layer also lives in here as well, but you honestly can’t feel anything and it adds very little weight overall to the shoe. The HOVR platform does provide a nice amount of cushioning while also responding well in run. It does feature a 28mm stack height with a median 5mm drop, so the numbers come in at a great spot in our mind for a nice mix of runners.
Construction: Outsole
The outsole on the HOVR Velociti 2 uses high abrasion rubber to provide maximum durability and traction. It obviously contributes slightly to the weight, but having an outsole that tracks well and lasts is nice for everyday runners.
Style & Aesthetics
The HOVR Velociti 2 comes in 5 colors for men and women and the color palettes are varied which is great. The test model we have was not necessarily our cup of tea, but some folks actually really loved it. I guess the bottom line here is they do have something for everyone.
Run Test
This was definitely my first experience in any shoe from Under Armour, so my expectations were very low to say the least. Just out of the box, the colorway did not impress me, but the on foot experience was remarkably better than I expected. The HOVR foam is a really nice balance of cushioning and responsiveness, the drop is exactly where I wanted to be and that just over 9 ounce weight was hardly noticeable. It does in fact feel like a lighter shoe. In run, the Velociti 2 tracks very well and it runs as a much faster shoe. The upper definitely breathes well and is usable across varying temperatures, but does not handle rain all that well.I think my only gripe here is with the app integration which is one of their key selling points. They are not charging extra for it, but I’m still just not sold as to the necessity.The majority of the data you will get from any decent and GPS watch or even generic app and the places where you could get really really valuable data, they just aren’t covering… at least not in any detail. I would love to see the analysis of cadence, footstrike, and pronation or supination issues. There are so many ways you could take it, but it’s clear that it’s just not there yet.
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Overall Conclusion
The bottom line on the Under Armour HOVR Velociti 2 is that the shoe itself is really solid and better then we expected. The roominess of the upper is solid and the HOVR midsole is comparable to the competitors. The application and connected integration is really unnecessary at this point, but given the lack of a premium price being tacked on, it shouldn’t deter you from the shoe. At some point, we will see better integrations or even an improved platform, but until then, focus on the shoe itself which in the case is decent.
Technical Stats, Pricing & Availability
- Weight: 9oz (size 9)
- Drop: 5mm heel/toe
- Cushion: 28mm
- Type: Neutral Road
- MSRP: $120.00
- Available: Now
