The New Balance Ellipse is a buy for people just starting to run, and experienced runners who want a shoe for light easy days. A build moved toward "easy" with stretch laces and an upturned sole: men's 273g, 8mm drop. Released Mar 12, 2026, official price JPY 17,930. Width is 1 each, men's 2E and women's D, with no choice.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
Buy the Ellipse as a shoe for days you do not look at the watch. Stretch laces, a cushioned tongue, an upturned sole. The build the maker lists is placed on the side of "easy," not "fast." Leave lightness and the new foam to the 1080v15, and settle that this one is the shoe for days you ease off, and the hesitation goes away.
Key points
- The foam is Fresh Foam X. Of the 5 new 2026 shoes, this is the one daily shoe without Infinion
- 13.4g heavier than the 1080v15 and JPY 4,070 lower. Price per gram is about JPY 66
- Width is just 1: men's 2E and women's D. Both are 1 wider than standard
New Balance made a new "shoe that moves away from time"
New-release announcements usually begin with "lighter than before" or "bouncier than before." This shoe's announcement was different. New Balance Japan explains it as a shoe for enjoying running itself, away from the numbers on a watch.
So you lose by reading this shoe in a weight ranking. 273g is the heaviest of the 4 shoes with weights among the new 2026 releases. Even so, the reason it was released is written in the build.
This article reads only the 1 pair, the Ellipse, by official announcement numbers. The table lining up the 5 pairs of 2026 is in the article on New Balance's 2026 new releases.
Ellipse weight and drop? The official numbers
| Item | Ellipse |
|---|---|
| Release date | Mar 12, 2026 |
| Official price | JPY 17,930 (tax included, men's and women's) |
| Weight | Men's 273g / women's 218g |
| Drop | 8mm |
| Width | Men's 2E / women's D |
| Sizes | Men's 25.0 to 29.0cm / women's 22.0 to 25.5cm |
| Midsole foam | Fresh Foam X |
| Product number | Men's MELPS / women's WELPS |
Drop is the difference in sole thickness between heel and forefoot. 8mm is 2mm larger than the same year's 1080v15 at 6mm (per the US official listing), so the build has a higher heel.
The weight gap between men's and women's is 55g (273 − 218). The size conditions are not stated, so it is not a number comparing the same length for men and women.
What changed from the previous generation: it is the first, so read the build
There is no previous generation. It is a name that first appeared in Mar 2026. So I read the builds the announcement lists one by one. There were 5 when counted.
| Part | Announcement wording | How I read it |
|---|---|---|
| Midsole foam | Fresh Foam X. Light, comfortable cushioning | Used New Balance's standard cushioning as is |
| Sole shape | Rocker structure | Toe and heel curve upward, a shape where body weight rolls forward |
| Upper fabric | Breathable engineered mesh | A single mesh whose weave changes by area |
| Laces | Supple stretch laces | Stretchy laces. The squeeze on the instep changes little |
| Tongue | Cushioned for a soft feel against the foot | Added thickness under the laces |
What readers rarely know is that few shoes write about the laces and tongue in the announcement. Announcements for shoes that sell speed end with foam and plate talk. This shoe spent 2 of the 5 on how it touches the instep.
So what happens? The build leans toward reducing the "bother" from putting the shoe on to taking it off. The official words "away from the watch" are not decoration but the order of the design.
With no one to compare against, subtract against another Fresh Foam X
In place of a previous generation, I put next to it the daily shoe that also carried Fresh Foam X: the 1080 v14, released Oct 2024. The official numbers I read in this site's New Balance article were 298g and JPY 19,800.
- Weight gap: 298 − 273 = 25g (the Ellipse is lighter)
- Price gap: 19,800 − 17,930 = JPY 1,870 (the Ellipse is lower)
- Price per gram: the Ellipse is 17,930 ÷ 273 = about JPY 66, the 1080 v14 is 19,800 ÷ 298 = about JPY 66
Price per gram came out nearly the same. It is not the 1080 v14's next generation. But after the 1080 moved to Infinion at v15, a Fresh Foam X daily shoe came out a little lighter at the same price per gram. That is how it reads in numbers.
Siblings compared: 1080v15 and FuelCell Rebel v5
There are 2 pairs you hesitate over with the Ellipse: the 1080v15, one step up among daily shoes, and the FuelCell Rebel v5, close in price.
| Ellipse | 1080v15 | FuelCell Rebel v5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (men's) | 273g | 259.6g | 226g |
| Drop | 8mm | 6mm | 6mm |
| Official price | JPY 17,930 | JPY 22,000 | JPY 16,940 |
| Foam | Fresh Foam X | Infinion | FuelCell (blend of PEBA and EVA) |
| Men's width | 2E | D, 2E, 4E | D, 2E |
Difference from the 1080v15: The Ellipse is 13.4g heavier (273 − 259.6) and JPY 4,070 lower (22,000 − 17,930). As the amount paid to save 1g, that is about JPY 304 (4,070 ÷ 13.4). Converting 13.4g to distance, at a 1.2m stride 42.195km is about 35,163 steps, so 13.4 × 35,163 = about 471kg.
What you buy with the price difference is not only weight. The 1080v15 comes with the new foam Infinion, which claims resistance to flattening, and 3 widths.
Difference from the Rebel v5: The Ellipse is 47g heavier (273 − 226) and JPY 990 higher (17,930 − 16,940). On numbers alone the Rebel v5 wins. But the Rebel v5 is a shoe on the rebound side, used from "high-intensity training." The directions they suit differ.
- Want 1 pair to cover slow days and walking days → Ellipse.
- Want 1 pair to cover daily jogs through long weekend distances, or need standard width or 4E → 1080v15. Better not the Ellipse.
- Looking for a shoe for days you raise the pace → Rebel v5. That is split out in the FuelCell Rebel v5 review.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
New Balance 1080v15
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 13,481 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 22,000 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanWhat I like
The purpose and the build are not out of line. Many shoes say "run easy" while the contents are a lightness race. The Ellipse chooses parts that match its words: stretch laces, a thick tongue, a rolling sole. Putting out the 273g without hiding it is an extension of that.
It came out 1 width wider than standard for both men and women. Men's 2E is 1 wider than the standard D, and women's D is 1 wider than the standard B. The aim of a roomy fit is carried through in the width symbols too. For wide-footed people always hunting for width options, the answer is ready from the start.
The target is broad. It works from people who have just started to experienced runners who value light easy days. It can be a first pair or a 2nd pair for someone who owns a fast shoe. Its role is clear, so it does not compete with other shoes for work.
For about 80% of the 1080v15's price, you get New Balance's standard cushioning. 17,930 ÷ 22,000 = about 81.5%. Fresh Foam X was the foam that long supported the 1080.
Things to watch
- You cannot choose width. Men's is 2E only and women's D only. For feet that fit standard width well, it may feel wide.
- Few colors. The announcement has 2 colors each for men and women. Of those, SILVER/LIME is a color only at New Balance Run Hub Yoyogi Park. The color you could choose at any store was 1, GREEN/MULTI, at the time of the announcement.
- The stores that sell it are limited. The announcement writes some directly operated stores, the official online store and limited retailers. On Rakuten too, I found no item on the day I checked.
- The foam is not new. The headline of New Balance 2026 is Infinion. This is not a shoe for someone who wants to confirm that.
Who is it for?
Good fit: Someone looking for a first pair when starting to run. Someone who already owns a fast shoe and wants one just for easing-off days. Someone with wide feet for whom 2E (D for women's) fits. Someone who wants to spend running days and walking days in the same shoe.
For slim-to-standard feet, or training where you raise the pace, there are other ways to choose. If you choose by weight, the Rebel v5, 47g lighter in the same price range, fits. If your 1080 v14 is not worn out yet, wearing it out first is in time (same Fresh Foam X, a 25g gap).
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price | Rakuten price range |
|---|---|---|
| Ellipse | JPY 17,930 | — |
| 1080v15 | JPY 22,000 | JPY 13,481–22,000 |
| FuelCell Rebel v5 | JPY 16,940 | JPY 9,326–16,940 |
The Ellipse is a shoe with limited stores. The order is to look first at the official online store or directly operated stores, then check on Rakuten whether any listing has appeared. The announcement says you can try it on at Run Hub Yoyogi Park. As a shoe with only 1 width, there is great value in deciding after putting your foot in.
When searching on Rakuten, look at "Ellipse" in the product name and the product numbers MELPS (men's) and WELPS (women's).
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 9,326 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 16,940 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanFAQ
How does the Ellipse fit? Can I choose width?
You cannot choose width: men's is 2E and women's is D, 1 each. Sizes are men's 25.0 to 29.0cm and women's 22.0 to 25.5cm.
Both are 1 width wider than standard, so someone who normally picks New Balance D (B for women's) gets extra room across at the same length. 30.0cm and up is not in the announcement.
How do the Ellipse and the 1080v15 differ?
For 1 pair to do everything, the 1080v15; to narrow to easy days, the Ellipse. The 1080v15 is 13.4g lighter, has the new Infinion foam, and men's comes in D, 2E and 4E. The Ellipse costs about 80% as much and puts effort into the build around the instep.
Can the Ellipse be used on full marathon race day?
The scenes it assumes are the early stage of starting to run, and recovery runs (slow running to shed fatigue). The weight is 273g. How to split shoes by target time is lined up in the article on shoes by pace.
