Under Armour HOVR Infinite

Under Armor again bets on the future of smart running shoes. That’s the case of HOVR Infinite, the latest addition of the US brand. A shoe that promises to be not only of help and support during the run, but also and above all the main tool to improve it.

Traditionally speaking, HOVR Infinite is a neutral shoe of 305 grams of weight and 8 mm of drop (for men, 248 gr and 10 mm for women), designed for those who love to run every day without special needs of support and performance. The classic cushioned neutral, also designed for long distances, able to adapt to any situation and at any pace.

Infinite HOVR, as the name already says, has a midsole entirely in HOVR, an evolution of the classic Under Armor foam, designed to last longer, well cushioned and at the same time quite reactive, designed to provide a zero gravity feeling with a high return of energy.

The upper of the shoe is equipped with a soft collar and tongue for a greater feeling of comfort. The fit is comfortable and wide in the forefoot, as in the support. The sole, which is very wide, durable and in one piece, is cut horizontally and vertically to ensure the natural movement and maximum flexion of the foot.

The particular design is innovative and reflects the style and the line that characterize all Under Armor shoes, for a shoe that you can wear even in your free time. A shoe made to have fun, both in the days when you would like to be more carefree and during trainings when you never stop running.

But Infinite HOVR is also something more. It is a step forward.

Under Armor has created a collection of smart shoes, able to read the run, to analyze it and improve it. In every Infinite HOVR there is in fact a hidden chip able to record the distance run, the average rhythm, the duration of the workout, calories consumed, number of laps, average cadence, stride length, rhythm, GPS track, gradient, weather and provide feedbacks on training progress.

In the midsole of the right foot and weighing only 30 grams, a pod uses an accelerometer to track the movements of the foot during the run and a Bluetooth technology to send data to the MapMyRun app. It is completely shock and water resistant and the life of the battery has a proven a durability superior than the one of the shoe.

MapMyRun is a highly performing and easy to use app. It automatically recognizes the shoes within seconds, it shows a picture of the connected model and a moment later you are ready for you daily training. And once synchronized MapMyRun will automatically reconnect to your shoes every time you go out running.

For those who like to run without too many accessories, however, many questions arise. Is it always necessary to have the smartphone for data recording with you? Is it possible to connect the pod to other brands’ apps? Is it possible to integrate statistics and surveys with the main running watches?

Up to date there is no way to connect HOVR Infinite to other apps, such as Strava or Endomondo. And there is no possibility to read the data recorded by the chip on Sportwatch Garmin Suunto or Apple Watch.

But the positive aspect is the ability to update MapMyRun and the integrated system whenever Under Armor makes new versions of the firmware available. Possibility that in the near future it can guarantee not only the maximum functionality with other brands’ services and products, but also a further development of the data collected and analyzed (such as power or realtime coaching).

If you want to run without taking your phone with you, the pod inside the shoe still performs monitoring the whole workout, allowing the later synchronization of the data recorded with MapMyRun. In this case, however, the training track, the altitude and the day weather will not be detected (when running with the phone, the distance is detected using a combination of GPS and data captured by the accelerometer of the pod, which fills useful gaps in GPS tracking to improve accuracy).

MapMyRun also allows the possibility of using other brands’ accessories to integrate the registration of further parameters (such as the band for monitoring the heartbeat) or the use of Bluetooth headphones for real-time monitoring of running statistics.

The HOVR Infinite Under Armor shoes can certainly be considered the first model of intelligent running shoes. If from a purely technical point of view they have nothing to envy to models of the same category, the questions remain linked to future developments referring to the most technological part. The additions and updates could bring them to a decidedly competitive level, not only limited to running shoes, but also compared to the main racing tools and accessories. Especially considering the fact that the cost, despite all the integrated technology, remains very interesting, only €110.