adidas’ X Speedportal collection offers players a responsive and comfortable playing experience while remaining lightweight. The Speedportal is the 2022 release of the X line of adidas speed focused boots, following up the 2021 Speedflow.
*Speedportal has now been replaced by the Crazyfast. More about the adidas X Crazyfast here.
What You’ll Find On This Page:
- X Speedportal+ Laceless Review
- X.1 Speedportal Laced Review
- FAQ Common Questions Answered
- Who Wears the X? Speedportal wearers
- Speedportal vs Speedflow
- Older Generations Speedflow & Ghosted
While the Nike Mercurials continues to dominate the speed boot category, the Speedportal carries on the momentum behind the explosive growth of the adidas X line in recent years. Its capacity to rival the iconic Nike silo in fit, feel, and tech is evidenced by the boot being the second-most worn in both prestigious leagues and tournaments. Add in the competition from the Puma Ultra, Speedportal joins the other two in representing what is arguably the golden age of football speed boots.
Who Wears adidas X?
Expect to see Son Heung Min, Jamie Vardy, and Gabriel Jesus wearing the latest and greatest adidas laceless X boot, with the .1 laced Speedportal model having no shortage of quality names either with Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and Mohamed Salah putting them on feet.
adidas X Speedportal
+/.1 – Top-end adidas speed bot comes in both laced and laceless models; intricate upper construction and tooling mechanism make up for a responsive step and secure fit
X Speedportal.3
Academy adidas speed boots – Scaled-down in terms of material and tech but loosley retains the look of the high-end models; for casual and young players. Read our review of the X.3 here.
X Speedportal Questions Answered:
- What size should I get for the X Speedportal?
The adidas X Speedportal runs a bit long. Consider sizing down if the narrow width of the boot still feels alright and not too restrictive.
- What’s new with the X Speedportal?
The adidas speed boot reengineers the Primeknit upper to have EVA inserts for a moulded midfoot support and adds carbon fibre-based heel locks for a secure heel fit and stability in high speed. Minor adjustments have also been applied to the shape of the boot.
- Does the Speedportal come in Kids sizes?
Yes, it does come in Kids sizes, including the top-end laceless +model.
Laceless X Speedportal+ Review
Five Things You’ll Want to Know:
- Speedskin 2.0 upper comprised of Primeknit backed by EVA inserts for a cushioned midfoot support
- Speedframe outsole runs a full-length Carbitex insert for a snappy, responsive step
- Comes in laced and laceless versions
- Rivals the Nike Mercurials and Puma Ultras
- £230 for the laceless + and £200 for the laced .1; slightly less than the Nike but more expensive than Puma
Our X Speedportal Expert Review
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✔️ Pros
- Energy-return of Carbitex Speedframe more apparent than the Zoom Air unit of the Nike Mercurials; two central forefoot studs add a little bit of power when pushing off
- Has a more textured feel for added ball grip, in addition to the raw barefoot sensation
- Cost slightly less than the Nike speed boots: + and .1 vs Superfly and Vapor
- Streamlines the tongue and removes the flapping extended piece found on the previous X
- Primeknit tongue now hugs the arch of the foot more closely and helps with the sculpted fit
- Above-average traction
❌ Cons
- Runs a bit longer now than the Speedflow
- A slight step back in comfort; upper feels like a transition between the X Ghosted Mirageskin and the Speedflow Primeknit
- Additional heel padding might be a little to restrictive
- The length and the push of the Primeknit above your foot might cause some midfoot space once you start moving, affecting lockdown
Recent adidas X boots have shown on-par, if not more innovative features than the leading Nike Mercurials, giving them a run for its money. The X Speedportal, with its minor tweaks, is still in a good position to continue that challenge…
Boot Rankings, Best For…
Summary of Jay Mike’s talking points:
- Speedportal slightly longer and flatter compared to the Speedflow (though toe box is ever slightly higher and roomy despite the toe itself remaining low and pointy)
- Fixates to the top of the foot a bit better than before; overall it has a sculpted fit
- Not blown away with the Primeknit upper (felt a bit plasticky and falls somewhere in between the Ghosted and Speedflow); softens up relatively fast anyway
- Carbon heel lock works, but lockdown may also be due to gigantic internal heel padding (not unpleasant but feels like the heel is sticking out)
- Despite extra room around the toe, true-to-size remains best option
- Wider foot types might have to deal with a snug, tight midfoot
- Addition of two centre studs on the forefoot make pushing off more potent
- Carbitex Speedframe feels very responsive; studs still have plenty of bite despite being less sharp compared to previous generation
- Matte coating and dotted texturing add some ball grip
- Four annoying things: (1) extra length and room make the Speedportal less nimble (2) heel padding unnecessarily chunky (3) Singular rib texture on either side does not do anything (4) Lockdown is a bit of an issue in the Speedportal; high toe box of the Speedportal.1 has a clumsy feel, however, causing him to favour the + model in this case
- Prefers the Speedflow more but Speedportal does not feel that far off
X Speedportal.1 Review
As you can see, the most noticeable change to the Speedportal.1 from the Speedportal+ is the laced closure. Straight away you’ll immediately have more lockdown and have a sense that the boot won’t come loose, preventing internal slippage and staying secured on-feet even during sudden movements. Complementing the closure system and its benefits is the change on the weave pattern of the textile synthetic Speedskin 2.0. Because of this, the upper has a slightly firmer sensation and a more translucent finish that gives more outside visibility to the internal EVA lining. With the laces tied tight and the upper more structured, the laced .1 version makes the Speedportal respond even better with every step and twisting of the foot. Comfort-wise, it still feels nice, soft and pliable but first-time use draws comparison to the synthetic, plasticky feel of the X Ghosted’s Mirageskin.
Speaking of every step, the Speedportal.1 did not change anything to the Carbitex Speedframe. The snap is there and the stud configuration has more than enough capability to penetrate the ground. The Speedframe encourages the wearer to be on his toes at all times so he could fire himself up to speed at the least time possible.
The only possible issue with the Speedportal.1 is the chunky heel padding. Since the laced closure is already holding the foot in place, there’s a little bit of a hint that the heel might slip up at the back. Not really happening but at least in this respect, the players find the X Speedportal+ better in the heel fit since the thick padding acts like a lock when the foot presses against the elasticity of the uncoated Primeknit tongue.
Speedportal vs Speedflow
It can be argued that the Speedportal changed just a few things from the Speedflow.
- First is the scaling the Carbitex inserts on the tooling to full-length, maximising the energy-return and propulsive feel of the Speedframe. The studs are now more solid in shape, making them slightly less (but nonetheless still sharp) relative to the Speedflow configuration.
- Next is the switch of the Speedportal from the Speedflow’s internal TPU Agilitycage to an EVA-based backing, though the upper remains thin and light.
- Speaking of the upper, the Speedskin upper of the Speedportal is as soft and pliable as it can be, but out-of-the-box comfort could be said is a minimal step back from the previous X boots. Once broken-in, however, nothing separates the two at this aspect.
- Lastly, the new-gen X boot adds a carbon heel lock along with the external heel counter and extra internal padding for a more secure heel fit and stability during high-speed runs.
Overall, however, the Speedportal is a welcome addition to the X family, only that there’s a sense of the previous generation having a slightly better fit and feel experience.
Previous Models
The adidas X silo started in 2015 with the release of the X 15.1. However, it can be argued that the spiritual beginnings of the current edition is much more traceable to the X Ghosted launched in 2020. Safe to say that the present X feels like a relatively new model even if the silo as a whole already had a number of generations.
X Ghosted (2020)
This the model which gave birth to the Carbitex Speedframe. The technology immediately rivaled the Aerotrak soleplate of the Nike Mercurial Superfly 7/Vapor 14 in terms of responsiveness and energy-return. The Mirageskin synthetic upper seemed like a tribute to the Adizero days but managed to show its innovative nature with its seamless integration of multiple components resulting in a thin and translucent single layer material.
X Speedflow (2021)
The Speedflow in 2021 improved on the comfort level by reverting back to Primeknit, backed only by a cut-out TPU Agilitycage for structural reinforcement. Shape was also streamlined to be more form-fitting.
