Adidas Adizero Prime X 3 Strung Review: Big Stack, Big Price, Mixed Results

Introduction

The Adidas Adizero Prime X 3 Strung arrives with high expectations. The original Prime X was one of the most enjoyable high-stack trainers in recent memory: light, softly cushioned, and surprisingly durable over hundreds of miles. The second version went firmer and more rigid and lost some of that charm. This third iteration moves back toward the original in some ways, but it does not fully recapture what made the first shoe special.

Price, Weight and Specs

The shoe retails at £250 and was purchased independently for testing at £225. In a UK 11 / US 11.5, it weighs 326g (11.5 oz), a drop of nearly an ounce compared to the roughly 355g of the Prime X 2 and closer to the original’s 306g.

Stack height measures 53mm in the heel and about 46mm in the forefoot, giving a nominal 7mm drop that does not feel that way on foot. The forefoot is a very wide 13cm at its widest point, while the heel is a narrow 8.7cm. That combination matters for stability, as we will see later.

Upper and Fit

The Strung upper is less generous than the versions on the first two Prime X shoes, which is good news for narrow to normal-width feet. This time there is no bunching, and the fit feels more glove-like. Getting into the shoe is a challenge, though. There is essentially no stretch in the strung material, and the lacing setup uses many small lace loops with no extra eyelets, so a runner’s knot is not possible. Heel slip therefore cannot be engineered around.

There is no traditional heel counter, and the Achilles area is nicely sculpted and stays out of the way of foot movement. The tongue has little padding, and some lace tension over the top of the foot was noticeable. Go true to size in length; between-sizes runners may run into fit problems.

The overall impression is that the Strung technology feels used for the sake of it. A more traditional Adizero upper, like the one on the Adios Pro 4, could arguably work better here. Initial runs scored the upper a 2.6 out of 3: lockdown can be poor depending on foot shape, and there is little configurability to fix it.

Midsole and Ride

Despite the plush appearance, the ride is firmer than expected. A plate sits just below the foot with comparatively little foam between it and the sole, and the top carbon plate juts out behind the heel. The Light Strike Pro foams here feel denser than recent implementations, measuring around 26 Shore A on average, so do not expect marshmallow compression like the Adios Pro 4. The outsole rubber is a softer 52 Shore A, consistent with other recent Adizero shoes.

There is genuine bounce, compression, and impact protection in the heel, but the shoe clearly wants you landing on the much wider forefoot. Anyone with stability concerns should look elsewhere given the 53mm stack and narrow heel. A slightly softer foam sandwiched in the forefoot flexes with the rods on toe-off, producing an odd collapsing, crunchy sensation.

After 22 miles, including a half marathon long run, the shoe softened a little, but the ride never became engaging. It is cushioned yet bulky, and it lacks the magic feel of the Prime X 1. The midsole scores 2.5 out of 3: very underwhelming, with better and more fun rides available for less money.

Outsole

The outsole is arguably the best part of the shoe. The Continental rubber combined with Light Traction delivers excellent grip and durability, with no exposed wear to the midsole materials. This combination has proven exceptional across recent Adizero models.

Stay on smooth, even roads. The shoe is far too tall for uneven camber or even light trails, so keep corners and surfaces in mind. The outsole earns 2.8 out of 3.

Value and Verdict

At £250 retail, this is hard to recommend. At 326g it is too heavy for paced long runs and too clunky for recovery or daily running, yet intervals at speed are hard to sustain in it. The original Prime X hit a sweet spot where the weight simply disappeared; this one starts to feel heavy toward the end of a run.

For most runners, this is an expensive, niche option. Cheaper and more versatile alternatives exist, and if comfortable miles in a soft midsole are the goal, a second pair of the Adios Pro 4 does the job better. The build quality is genuinely good, the Strung upper and lace loops included, but the shoe drifts from the original concept by piling on extra elements that add weight. It scores 2.3 out of 3 for value.

Conclusion

With initial scores totalling 10.2 out of 12, the Adizero Prime X 3 Strung lands somewhere between the first and second versions: better than the V2, but not a patch on the V1. If you want a shoe that limits fatigue on long runs and you have solid form, it could work. For the majority of runners, better options exist at lower prices, and the magic of the original Prime X remains out of reach here.