What’s in Store For 2023 Ellipticals? We’re Glad You Asked!

Well, it’s that time of year again when we look ahead to see what’s in store for 2023 in the fitness equipment world, and more specifically, elliptical trainers. This has been a very challenging year for many reasons…on a financial level, you had the stock market decline, potential recession and inflation, all of which have significantly affected consumer spending capability.

Add to that the continued challenges of COVID, affecting production, warehousing and distribution, and you can understand why there wasn’t too much exciting going on with cardio equipment in 2022. We didn’t see many new models being released…the lineups at NordicTrack, ProForm, Sole, Horizon and others remained the same. In fact, we noticed that many of these companies removed models from the lineup…perhaps they just weren’t selling very many of them, they were too expensive to make or they just wanted to concentrate on those ellipticals that were most profitable.

UPDATE: Our look at 2024 ellipticals is now live. Check it out!

In any case, looking at 2023 it doesn’t look like it’s going to be much different, especially for the time being. The stock market is still reeling, inflation is high, recession is still a possibility. So for now I don’t expect too much innovation from the cardio equipment companies. But let’s take a look at what we do have…

Are there any new ellipticals coming out in 2023?

Although they remain very popular (if you visit a health club you’ll always see people using the elliptical machines for their cardio) as far as the home gym market there seems to be a trend towards exercise bikes and rowing machines, and to a lesser degree the tried and true treadmills. Ellipticals have fallen off a bit, sadly, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be back at some point. Cardio machine popularity waxes and wanes, and we’re crossing our fingers that ellipticals will once again be the top choice.

So let’s look at the popular brands to see what changes are in store for 2023…

NordicTrack Ellipticals

As of this writing the NordicTrack elliptical lineup is down to just 5 models from a peak of about 9-10 in its heyday. You still have the FreeStride Trainers, with the FS10i and top end FS14i. You have the Front Drive Commercial 9.9 and 14.9. Both of these series had another model that has since been discontinued.

It looks like the Rear Drive Series might be on its way out in 2023. Only the SpaceSaver SE9i remains, and it has a closeout tag, which means once the inventory is gone, it’s gone. We’ll keep an eye on that model to see what happens.

UPDATE: In the Summer of 2023 NordicTrack released its first brand new model in quite a long time. It’s called the AirGlide 14i, and it features the new tilting touch screen that some of the other ellipticals and treadmills have. It may be replacing the Commercial 14.9 as it has many of the same specs. Perhaps all of the ellipticals will be upgraded with the new tilting screens as this has been a big differentiator for the company.

ProForm Ellipticals

It’s a similar story over at ProForm, the sister company of NordicTrack. They too are down to about 5 ellipticals, and also had at least double that many when we first starting reviewing ellipticals years ago. You have the Carbon HIIT Trainer and higher end Pro HIIT H14, both of which are non-traditional ellipticals that are more like steppers similar to the Bowflex Max Trainers.

You then have two remaining Carbon Series ellipticals (down from 4), including the Carbon EL and Carbon E10…the latter is still free if you sign up for 3 years of iFit membership.

There’s also one remaining Hybrid Trainer, the XT, which is a very basic elliptical/recumbent bike combo machine.

So nothing new on the horizon for ProForm either. And speaking of Horizon….

Horizon Ellipticals

There are still three Go Series Models, the popular EX-59, Evolve 3 and Evolve 5.

And there’s only one Advanced Series model left, the 7.0 AE. The 7.4 AE and 7.8 AE are no longer available. You can access a number of fitness programs, including Peloton, Studio, Zwift and more, making these ellipticals more flexible as far as what you can tap into. Note that NordicTrack and ProForm only work with the company’ iFit technology.

Sole Ellipticals

Sole Fitness has the most elliptical trainers, 7 in all, starting with the E20 and moving up to the E98. These remain great options, well built, well designed. Still no touch screens but you can tap into the Studio app, giving you an interactive experience like you get with some of the other major brands.

Other Brands

Those are the most popular elliptical brands on the market, but let’s look at a few others to see if there’s anything new for 2023….

Over at Bowflex, you still have the same Max Trainers….there’s the base M6, mi range M9 and top end Max Total 16. The company offers JRNY, a competitor of iFit, Studio and the other interactive programs. They also also have the ability to stream on the touch screen models and Bowflex Radio, two unique features you won’t find anywhere else.

Xterra Fitness has the same six models, two hybrid and 4 traditionals, starting with the EU100 and moving up to the FS3.5, all under $1,000.

Looking at the opposite end price wise, Octane has the same range of standing and recumbent ellipticals, and they’ve also pared down their lineup considerably over the years.

Sister company TRUE Fitness also shows the same models, the M30, M50, Performance 300 and top of the line ES700.

What’s the Bottom Line?

Although things could change, as of now it doesn’t look like there are any new models being released from the major brands for 2023. Most available models seem to be carryovers from 2022. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There were a number of recent improvements made to many of these ellipticals, including the addition of touch screens, heart rate monitoring and interactive training on more models, among other upgrades. So even though there isn’t anything brand new happening, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be getting a great elliptical for your home. As such, don’t shy away from buying now in hopes of getting something brand new soon. Newer isn’t always better.

We’ll continue to watch the market to see if these companies put out any brand new models in 2023…for now it’s status quo!