Adidas Ultraboost 20 review

Two-Minute Review

Ultraboost has never been a go-to for a running shoe. Despite initially pitched as a performance running sneaker, Ultraboost was adopted by fans as a casual wear rather than something athletes would choose to run their marathons in. The boost midsole was soft and cushioned, but it never really picked up with runners.

With last year’s Ultraboost 19, adidas primed their focus on specifically targeting the athletic market with a stark change in design that leaned heavily towards a performance sneaker, while adding significantly more boost to the midsole to make it even more responsive. Casual fans didn’t take too well with the design changes, but it did work in garnering favor with runners as the changes made the sneaker a lot more responsive and comfortable for long runs. 

The Ultraboost 20 is adidas clearly trying to please both the markets. For casual fans, it has brought its more palatable upper design back, and for runners, it has made small changes that, for the most part, makes it a slightly better sneaker.

Price and availability

The Ultraboost 20 retails for AED 849 directly from adidas, but at the time of writing they're currently on offer for AED 589 instead.

The shoes are part of adidas' new Heat.RDY range, which is designed to keep you cool no matter what kind of activity you're doing.

Design

The most noticeable change in the Ultraboost 20 is the entire redesign of the upper. adidas has ditched the two-tone knit pattern and the translucent cage of the Ultraboost 19, and have gone for a look that harkens back to the original Ultraboost 1.0 design. It’s less sporty and more casual, but also keeps some of the innovations that came with the Ultraboost 19, such as the reworked heel clip design and the thick midsole cushioning. 

We received the Core Black/Core Black/Signal Pink version of the Ultraboost 20 which is a catchy colorway if you can rock your clothes with the sneaker. The Primeknit upper - generously sprinkled with golden flakes - is made of out up-cycled parley ocean plastic collected from remote islands, beaches, and coasts in order to reduce waste and make the shoe environmentally friendly. It’s weaved with Tailored Fiber Placement technology that is designed to be flexible but also give you stability during liftoff and landing while running. 

The upper also features ribbed stitching around the forefoot area - a feature borrowed from adidas’ own Solarboost sneaker lineup - that prevents your foot from skidding inside the shoe. The extra stitching might feel like it would constrict the shoe, especially for wider feet, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The upper Primeknit material may not be as soft and stretchy as it is on the NMDs, but it is accommodating and flexes just enough to fit perfectly without pressing down on your feet. It’s like receiving a comfortable hug - but for your feet.

Another big change from the Ultraboost 19 is that the upper doesn’t run around through the heel. Instead, adidas has fitted the Ultraboost 20 with a sculpted polyester heel cup with softer padding that extends to the achilles as well. This, along with the heel clip from the Ultraboost 19, gives the sneaker better lockdown feel in the heel area, which will be appreciated by serious runners.

The midsole has received a new coat of paint but remains fundamentally the same as the Ultraboost 19, with both featuring 20 percent more boost than previous Ultraboost sneakers. Almost all of the Ultraboost 20 colorways come with an iridescent coating on the boost midsole that changes color depending on the light. The review pair we received changes color from bronze to pink, and it’s an aesthetic choice that we didn’t think we would be into, but we are.

If the bronze/pink midsole color doesn’t suit your taste then adidas has also released a number of other colorways that range from the standard black and white to the more stylish ones such as its collaboration with the ISS National Lab (apparently, adidas is sending its boost technology to space to see what it can learn to counter gravity on Earth).

The outsole is the same Continental Stretch Web rubber found on all of the Ultraboost sneakers ever made. It’s made of the same material as Continental tyres, so the traction, on-ground grip, and durability is always excellent. We’ve been wearing the Ultraboost 4.0 for over a year now, and the outsole still remains in top-notch shape despite being used in some harsh environments.

Performance

Ultraboost have a history of being a comfortable sneaker, and the Ultraboost 20 doesn’t stray too far away from that. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they are one of the most comfortable sneakers we’ve ever worn. The Primeknit upper hugs your feet in a warm embrace, and the extra padded boost midsole provides an all around comfortable ride. We could see ourselves wearing these for an entire day without tiring of them. However, the upper is of a thicker weave, and while it is designed to provide airflow, it still gets a bit warm after an hour of walking and running in them. 

The Ultraboost 20 measures 7mm closer to the ground in both the forefoot and the heel, meaning that it has slightly less boost than the Ultraboost 19, but we doubt you will be able to tell the difference. The changes appear to be a direct result of the feedback received for the Ultraboost 19, where some felt that the shoe had too much cushioning and was too angled for an accurate stride. The changes makes the Ultraboost 20 a little bit leaner and even more performance oriented to benefit runners.

Despite not being serious runners by any stretch of the imagination but we found the boost midsole to be responsive and quite springy. Compared to the Ultraboost 4.0 and even the Yeezy 350v2 (which are not running sneakers), the boost was a lot firmer but returned as much energy the further you pushed against it. This gives you the acclaimed ‘bounce’ of the boost midsole with every step which helps you run better and faster. The solid heel cup design, the snug upper and the always excellent Continental outsole ensured a stable and grippy ride, as well. 

But like every boost sneaker, the bounciness of the midsole does flatline after about an hour of wear. After walking 8-10k steps almost every day in these sneakers, the springiness that you feel initially goes away. However, unlike the Yeezy 350v2 and the other boost sneakers, the midsole on the Ultraboost 20 doesn’t feel mushy and tire your feet. It’s firmer and stable, and resembles how the Nike React feels on feet.

The Ultraboost 20 is also a heavy shoe, weighing in around 332 grams per shoe. This could be a deterrent for performance runners that would ideally prefer a lighter shoe to keep them moving as quickly as possible. You’ll definitely feel the weight of the shoe after two hours of walking in them. This was especially noticeable when we switched to the Nike Odyssey React 2 which feels significantly lighter. As such, the Ultraboost 20 could be a great recovery shoe, or something where achieving the highest possible speed isn't an absolute requirement. 

We wear a 43 ⅓ for adidas and the Ultraboost 20 fits true to size with ample room around the toes. However, we wouldn’t recommend going down half a size as you’ll need that extra space while running.

Should I buy the adidas Ultraboost 20?

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