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Last year we reviewed Under Armour’s HOVR Machina running shoe, a neutral runner which provides a cushioned and stable run over longer distances. However, it’s the added extra sensor which we called “the real dealmaker”, providing feedback around cadence and stride length. Under Armour has now announced the Machina 2, which is set to retail for R3 299 in South Africa.

The company believes the UA HOVR Machina 2 mixes the speed of a racing shoe with the comfort of a long-distance trainer. There was never really any doubt that the embedded chip would again make an appearance. It allows runners to connect with the UA MapMyRun app to access a bevy of features, including form coaching, cadence and gait tracking, audio-coaching, plus interval training and tracking.

The original Machina was designed to be a high-end trainer or entry-level racing shoe and was UA’s first plated shoe. The new Machina 2 is set to become Under Armour’s highest cushioned shoe to date thanks to a thick layer of UA HOVR foam + mesh Energy Web energy return midsole, providing a soft, energy efficient ride with a Pebax spring propulsion plate built in for added springiness.

If you are looking for a few specs, the Machina 2 comes with a midsole height of 26 mm on the heel tapering to 18 mm on the forefoot, thus an offset of 8 mm, all at a weight of 290 g per shoe.

It’s an expensive shoe, with part of the cost going to the embedded chip and the data driven coaching it can provide, with further insight and personalised coaching based on your pace, cadence, stride length and distance - with or without your phone. The Machina 2 is not the only shoe in Under Armour’s lineup that can do this, in fact, all of the footwear in their run suite can do so, including the HOVR Sonic 4 FnRn that we tested a few months back.

The UA HOVR Machina 2 has been launched globally and is currently available in Under Armour Brand Houses around South Africa at a retail price of R3 299.