Four Running Shoes on Our Radar: Hoka Tecton X2, Asics Magic Speed 3, New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v4 and Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen Strung

Introduction

It feels like a new running shoe lands every week at the moment, and keeping up with the wave of releases is genuinely hard work. This roundup looks at four soon-to-be or recently released models: the Hoka Tecton X2, the Asics Magic Speed 3, the New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v4 and the Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen Strung. These are early impressions rather than full verdicts; the real answer only comes when a shoe is in hand and on foot. That said, there is enough detail in each of these to give a useful yay or nay call.

Hoka Tecton X2: Strong on Paper, Pricey on the Shelf

Hoka has iterated the Tecton X2 remarkably quickly after the original, focusing on dropping weight through a new upper. The upper profile shares a lot with the Rocket X2, and if the fit carries over, that is very good news: the Rocket X2 delivers a glove-like fit that some earlier Hoka models lacked. On the outsole, Vibram Megagrip is a major update and a genuine selling point over some trail offerings from other brands with far less trustworthy rubber.

The midsole uses a Pro-flight construction with two carbon plates working in parallel, designed to curl up under the toes. The catch is the price: at 185 dollars, it is a lot to spend on a trail shoe, particularly if your trail time is infrequent and your local routes are more mud than dirt. The launch colorways, cherry jubilee and purple flame plus a blue option, are also unlikely to stay clean for long. This one gets a cautious nay from a road-leaning perspective, though dedicated trail reviewers will likely do it far more justice.

Asics Magic Speed 3: A Promising Training Partner

The Magic Speed 3 is set to release as a training partner to the very popular Meta Speed Sky Plus. The previous two versions drew mixed responses, and the original’s ride never really felt representative of anything in the Meta Speed Sky line. Version 3 uses two layers of FF Blast Plus foam, familiar from recent Nimbus models, but this time with a PBAX propulsion plate for a more rigid toe-off sensation. That positions it firmly as a shoe for faster tempo workouts rather than easy miles around the neighborhood.

Design details look sensible: a pronounced rocker through the mid and forefoot, the return of the perforated swiss cheese style rubber outsole in a single piece, and rubber now extending back into the heel, which should improve durability. The outsole also carves out foam to save weight and expose the plate, an approach several manufacturers now use. Pricing is listed around 160 dollars on some retail sites before release, which converts to roughly 126 pounds, though UK pricing will likely land closer to 140. As a companion to the Meta Speed Sky Plus for familiarizing with the feel while keeping race shoes fresh, there is enough here for a yay when it drops around June.

New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v4: Speculative but Interesting

This one is still shrouded in leaked, speculative imagery, so creativity is required. The midsole shape and upper profile immediately recall the Vaporfly Next% 3, and the resemblance to the Rebel v4 is hard to unsee once noticed. The big question is whether New Balance has changed the FuelCell formula, because recent FuelCell shoes have tested as extremely soft. That plushness feels pleasant on easy runs, but it makes top-end speed hard to reach, as the RC Elite 2 and Rebel v2 demonstrated: lovely and soft, but without much propulsion to race in.

There are several ways this could improve: a firmer, more responsive foam, a less plush upper for a more nimble feel, and hopefully better outsole grip, which seemed to go backwards after the superbly tactile RC Elite v1. Combining FuelCell formulas to get more out of the carbon plate would be welcome. On speculation alone, this earns a cautious yay; if New Balance can recapture something like the balance of the old FuelCell TC, the SC Elite series could return to the front pack.

Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen Strung: The Definite Yay

The clearest winner of the four is the Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen Strung, based on leaked imagery of a couple of colorways. The Strung upper used on the Adizero Prime X Strung was superb: durable, conforming and remarkably easy to lock down around the foot, with material thickness that belies its strength. Applying it to the Takumi Sen, already one of Adidas’s best shoes, could make an excellent shoe even better. The design adds strength around the heel with overlays and uses the same lace loop and eyelet chain as the Prime X Strung.

The midsole profile and outsole look essentially identical to the Takumi Sen 9, which is the right call when the formula already works. Using fewer materials in the upper should also save some weight, as it did with the Prime X Strung versus the original Prime X. One caveat: some chatter online suggests this could be a prototype made available through a resale store and might not reach retail. Hopefully that is not true, because if there is a chance to buy this shoe, it is an emphatic yay.

Overall Buying Advice

If you race or train on trails and budget is not a concern, the Tecton X2’s Vibram Megagrip and twin-plate midsole make it the most technically interesting of the four. Road runners wanting a tempo companion to a Meta Speed Sky Plus should watch for the Magic Speed 3’s June release at around 160 dollars. New Balance fans should wait for confirmed details on the SC Elite v4 before committing. And if the Takumi Sen Strung actually reaches retail, it may be the easiest recommendation of the bunch, provided you can find a pair before the resale market does.

Conclusion

Four shoes, four different verdicts: a nay for the Tecton X2 on price and limited trail time, a yay for the Magic Speed 3 as a well-priced tempo trainer, a speculative yay for the SC Elite v4 pending real details, and a dead-set yay for the Takumi Sen Strung. The common thread is that early impressions only go so far; the on-foot test is what settles it. For now, these four are the releases most worth keeping an eye on.