New Balance 1080 v15 Review
By Matthew Klein
New Balance 1080 v15Price: Will Launch on January 15, 2026 at $169.95
Weight: 9.2 oz, 261 g (men's size 9.5), 7.3 oz, 208 g (women's size 7)
Stack Height: 40 mm heel / 34 mm forefoot
Drop: 6 mm
Shoe Purpose: Premium Neutral Daily Training Shoe
Pros: Light Resilient Ride, Protective But Not Mushy Ride, Plenty of Upper Room
Cons: Slightly Sloppy Fit
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The New Balance 1080 v15 is a premium neutral trainer for daily miles, long runs and a little uptempo work. The knit upper provides a ton of extra room for those who need a high-volume upper. The new Infinion midsole provides good cushioning with some resiliency and bounce. Taking back its place as the lightest premium neutral trainer on the market, the New Balance 1080 v15 returns as a light, highly cushioned and resilient shoe for the miles ahead.
SIMILAR SHOES: Puma Magnify Nitro 3
PAST MODEL: New Balance FreshFoam 1080 v14
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The New Balance 1080 v15 fits me true to size in my normal US men's size 10. The upper is a knit upper that fits slightly wide but high volume. I had to really tighten down the laces to get a secure fit and even then I still had some extra room. The toe box is slightly tapered but the flexible upper and higher volume provides plenty of room. This continues into a wider forefoot with extra volume. While not anatomic, I still had plenty of room for my toes to move. This continues into wider and higher volume midfoot. The tongue is moderately thick and gusseted, which does help offset the wider fit. This continues into a slightly wider but cushioned heel. There is moderate heel collar padding and a stiff heel counter. The heel counter is only 2/3rds height, but only the top is padded. The bottom is fairly bare and was noticeable, so those with heel sensitivities (haglund deformities) may not do well. Despite the good midfoot gusset, the higher volume provides extra room that makes efficient lockdown difficult. I did not have to lace lock the shoe as my heel was secure, but turning definitely caused some sliding no matter how much I tightened the laces. Fortunately most of my running in these were in a straight line. The inner aspect of the knit upper is scratchy and due to the extra volume, I would highly suggest using socks with these shoes.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Moderately Flexible
How Flexible is the Shoe: Mildly Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Somewhat
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Yes
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The New Balance 1080 v15 is a premium neutral daily training shoe. It no longer has the "Fresh Foam" designation as the foam has been updated to Infinion. Infinion is a highly cushioned but resilient foam that feels far more balanced the prior Fresh Foam midsoles in the 1080. Initially, it was slightly soft and bouncier, reminding me of a denser version of older FuelCell foam. As it has broken in, it provides a moderately soft, highly protective and moderately responsive/bouncy ride. It is not as soft initially as prior versions but has better resiliency and bounce. The weight is noticeably light, coming in well under the prior version's weight and under 9 oz for men's size 9. This makes it the lightest premium neutral shoe on the market right now. There is a 6mm heel drop, which feels about right. It is not too low or too high. The heel bevel is large and centered but features a groove in the lateral heel that makes it compress easily. This creates a smooth and easy heel transition. The midfoot does not narrow, so it doesn't feel that unstable. The forefoot is moderately flexible with a long and non-aggressive forefoot rocker. There is only a little toe spring, so the toes are kept in a mostly neutral position. Despite the high stack, there is a decent amount of flex to the forefoot, so those with toe mobility issues will not do well. Those who want their toe joints to move will like this shoe.
Pace-wise, the 1080v15 does best a daily training miles but has some versatility into uptempo runs and fartleks. I have enjoyed this shoe for easy runs and a long run, where it held up for me despite being a neutral shoe. I have done strides and a fartlek workout in this shoe and while it is not the fastest shoe, it's lightweight and moderately responsive midsole can handle pace changes. Trying to do faster workouts does not feel as good in this shoe as the foam does not respond fast enough for extremely fast efforts. It feels best on easier and consistent efforts, making it a great easy and long run shoe.
The 1080v15 has decent traction on dry and wet surfaces. Despite the almost lug-like outsole design, there is quite a bit of exposed midsole on the bottom, so I would keep this on man-made surfaces and away from trails. Despite the exposed midsole, the outsole is holding up quite well after 40 miles of use. There is only a tiny bit of wear in the lateral midfoot and I have not pulled off the outsole. The midsole has softened slightly since the beginning, so I expect an average to slightly above average of miles out of these for a daily training shoe.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The New Balance 1080 v15 is a neutral shoe. However, some mild guidance methods make this shoe slightly guided. The first is the wider sole. The midfoot does not narrow, which adds a touch of resistance to side to side motion there. This partially comes from the straight last (straight shape) as well as extra material in the medial midfoot. There are also small sidewalls in the medial and lateral heel. Combined with the large lateral grove in the midsole of the rearfoot, this creates some lateral bias at the back that works well with the bevel. This lateral direction combined with extra medial foam in the midfoot, makes the shoe feel more stable than it actually should be. There is only a little sole flare in this shoe, so those sensitive to that will be fine. Overall, the above components provide some lateral bias in the heel and mild centeredness in the midfoot.
Thoughts as a DPT: Forefoot Flexibility in Higher Stack Height Shoes
By Matthew Klein
With stack heights continuing to stay tall (or get taller), flexible forefoot areas have become somewhat rare. Often, these taller shoes have lower flexibility, either due to the amount of foam causing stiffness or a stiffening agent being present to stabilize a large amount of softer foam. The 1080 v15, while not initially super flexible, becomes moderately flexible. Despite being taller in stack height, this shoe will require the normal 60-90 degrees of toe extension to use effectively. Part of this is the flex grooves in the forefoot, while the other visible components come from the softer and bouncier midsole foam. Not having a stiffening agent makes this shoe more flexible and allows it to bend. Not having any restriction on this can be risky with a taller stack height shoe. With more foam, there are an increased number of ways the midsole can crease and flex. Some outcomes of that may be good, others may not be. That is why the addition of additional longitudinal strips of outsole is good not just for durability, but to maintain some structure for the midsole.
As we discussed with version 14, outsole material can also change stiffness of a shoe. There is just enough here to maintain some mild structure without restricting the softer midsole feel. This will keep the front cushioned, but will not create enough structure to create an artificial forefoot rocker. Therefore, unless a stiffened orthotic is added, users of the 1080 v15 will need normal toe extension range of motion for normal progression of gait through the forefoot.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: The New Balance 1080 v15 is a massive update. The foam and geometry change make this shoe feel quite different underfoot compared to prior versions. The wider, straight last combined with the lateral heel crease make this shoe feel more stable than it is supposed to be. The incredibly lightweight and balance cushioning is great. The upper is what needs some work as I struggled to get a good lockdown. This may be good for some people with higher volume feet, but I would like to see a little more shaping to the upper. My suggestion is to further work on the upper molding to the foot. I would add more overlays or strategically denser parts of the upper for security while still allowing some flexibility for the upper to expand, rather than sitting at a higher volume. Adding some more stretch would allow for more a more adaptable fit that may allow for better upper security.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The New Balance 1080 v15 is for those with higher volume feet wanting a light, highly cushioned and easy rolling daily training shoe. The high-volume upper will work best for those who want more room throughout the length of the shoe. The midsole will work best for those who want a good heel rocker, moderately soft and bouncy cushioning in a lighter package. The durability is better than expected but should still be kept on non-aggressive surfaces. The New Balance 1080v15 corrects the weight gain of version 14 and keeps the shoe from getting mushy like version 13. This will continue to be a popular walking shoe (I see a ton of them) while also regaining a spot as a lighter, well-cushioned shoe. I have seen many people race in version 13, which always surprised me given its categorization but with the current version is less so due to the improved midsole. It is an example of New Balance's performance capacities, which gives me hope for the future of their racing line. While the SC Elite v5 is one of my favorite racers of 2025, it is so because of its comfort rather than performance. The 1080 v15 gives me hope that that performance aspect can be moved even further ahead.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B+ (High volume upper that requires extra lace tightening to lock down)
Performance: A- (Infinion provides light and resilient cushioning. Lightest premium neutral training shoe)
Stability: B+ [Neutral] (Straight last, filled in midfoot and lateral heel crease create lateral bias in the rearfoot and mild medial motion resistance in the midfoot. Not stable neutral but extremely mild stability in the rearfoot and midfoot)
Value: A- (Although a little pricey, offset by lighter weight, higher performance and solid durability)
Personal: B+ (Great midsole update that brings the ride back to where it should be. Upper is hard to lock down and lower security limits the potential versatility)
Overall Design: B+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORNew Balance 1080 v15Price: Will Launch on January 15, 2026 at $169.95
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FURTHER READING
Hoka's racing shoe for trails.
Puma's everyday trainer.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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