New Balance 990v4 Review: My Favorite Right Now, After 20–30 Pairs of New Balance
I love New Balance. Roughly speaking, I’ve worn something like 20 to 30 pairs over the years. Among all of them, the one I’m especially into right now is the 990v4.
Alongside the standard grey, I also own a pale pink pair. I like the shape and the feel of this model enough to own it in two colors.
If someone told me to pick just one pair for a day of heavy walking — traveling, wandering a city — the 990v4 is what I’d reach for right now.
I prefer v4’s sharper look over the v6
As of August 2026, New Balance’s official store sells both the Made in USA 990v6 and the 990v4. The 990v4 is the fourth generation of the 990, released in 2016, and the current official grey — the “Made in USA 990v4 Core” — is sold as style U990GR4.
The v6 has a lot of volume in the sole, which reads a little too dad-shoe for me. The v4, by contrast, has a somewhat sharper overall line.
Compared to the v5 as well, I prefer how the v4 uses leather and balances its design. The mix of suede and mesh has a nice quality to it, and it manages to look sporty without looking clumsy.
It genuinely doesn’t hurt no matter how much I walk
The thing I like most is how it feels to wear.
In my case, the 990v4 almost never leaves any part of my feet sore, even after walking for a long time. On days I know I’ll be walking a lot — traveling, wandering a city — this is the shoe I rely on.
The cushioning is generous without feeling too soft. The balance of stability, weight, and how easily you can push off is good, and it stays comfortable over a long walk.
The current 990v4 is described officially as using an ENCAP midsole along with ABZORB, both built around cushioning and support. You don’t need to know the specs to feel the comfort, but I think that construction is part of why the balance feels so good to me.
Size 29 cm / US 11 is exactly right
The size I wear is 29 cm, US 11. It’s genuinely spot on.
Compared with other New Balance models, the 990v4 doesn’t feel unusually large or small to me. For most New Balance models, I end up choosing more or less the same size.
The one exception is the M1500, which feels about half a centimeter smaller to me.
New Balance’s own size chart for the U990GR4 also lists 29.0 cm as US 11. Fit depends on foot shape and width, though, so take “29 cm / US 11 is exactly right for me” as a reference point rather than a guarantee.
The lining has held up reasonably well
With some New Balance models, the lining wears through with long-term use.
On that front, the 990v4 I wear has held up quite well. For shoes you walk long distances in, that kind of durability matters as much as the cushioning.
It’s one reason I feel comfortable choosing it for a day when I’m heading somewhere far.
The standard grey is easy to pair with almost anything
Grey is a classic New Balance color, but on the 990v4 the suede texture gives it a more refined look than a plain grey running shoe.
It goes with denim or chinos, obviously, and also works with business-casual looks built around a jacket, as long as the day leans casual. Being wearable in both summer and winter is a bonus too.
Pink works as an accent against monochrome
The other pair I own is a pale pink.
Personally, I’d style it by keeping the rest of the outfit monochrome and using the shoes as the one pop of color. Because the shape of the 990v4 itself is understated, even the pink version doesn’t come across as too loud a sneaker.
I like the design of the 990v4 itself enough that I wanted the same model in a second color.
If I had to name complaints: suede upkeep and long laces
I don’t have any major complaints about this shoe.
If I had to name something, one is the suede — the nap flattens if you don’t maintain it regularly. If you want to keep the texture looking good, that takes a bit of attention.
The other is that the laces are a little long. The extra length after tying tends to dangle.
That’s about as far as I can push it looking for real complaints.
I bought mine in the US during a “buy one, get one 50% off” deal
I bought my 990v4 in the US.
At the time, there happened to be a “buy one pair, get the second at 50% off” promotion running, so I got them at a pretty exceptional price. My satisfaction with the price I paid is very high because of that.
That’s a different starting point from buying at regular price in Japan, but if you asked whether I’d buy another pair, I’d genuinely like to.
If I could only bring one pair when traveling, it’s the 990v4 right now
I’ve worn something like 20 to 30 pairs of New Balance over the years, and the 990v4 is one I’ve come to like a lot among all of them.
The design is good. There’s cushioning. There’s stability. It’s comfortable over long walks and hasn’t given me any durability complaints. In grey, it’s easy to pair with clothes.
Rather than any single thing standing out, I think it’s a shoe where everything is balanced really well.
If I could only bring one pair somewhere far, traveling, which would I choose?
Right now, for me, it’s the 990v4.
There are other New Balance models I like too, so I’d like to write about them little by little going forward.
Products mentioned
New Balance Made in USA 990v4 Core（Grey）
The pair I actually wear is grey. I bought it a while ago, so I can't confirm it's identical to the current U990GR4, but this grey is what's currently sold as the Made in USA 990v4 Core.
The one I use
