I’ve been running on the WalkingPad G5i treadmill and its tri-fold design is perfect for small homes

One of the biggest barriers to buying a home treadmill is space. The best treadmills are not small, and finding room is tricky even if the machine folds down flat.

The Walking G5i treadmill doesn’t just fold down flat. It also folds in half, and ends up around the size of a large suitcase when it is in its folded position. It’s still heavy, but it’s much easier to maneuver and store when not in use than most treadmills.

Importantly, it’s also impressive when unfolded and actually in use. The top speed is low, especially given the high price, but the belt runs smoothly and the max incline setting is very high, so you can increase the intensity on your walks and runs.

It’s still a little underspecced for its price in my view, but the fully foldable design might make it worth the outlay for those short on space. If you have room, however, a treadmill like the Urevo CyberMega offers a higher top speed at a lower price.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: price and availability

The WalkingPad G5i treadmill costs $1,899 in the U.S. and £1,899 in the U.K., though it’s currently reduced to £1,599 in the latter and I’d expect fairly regular sales on the machine.

It’s an expensive machine, especially as for that kind of money you’d normally be looking at a gym-standard treadmill with a higher top speed and a larger design with a bigger running belt.

With the WalkingPad G5i you’re actually paying a premium for the smart folding design and its high max incline compared to other trifold models like the WalkingPad X218.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: design

The WalkingPad G5i arrives fully assembled, so you just need to open the box and unfold it to get started.

Folding the machine is simple to do using the foot lever, and once it’s fully assembled it feels remarkably sturdy — it didn’t feel any different to me during use than a treadmill that doesn’t fold in the middle of the belt.

When folded, it’s easier to lift and move around than treadmills that only fold flat or don’t fold at all, and you can stand it against a wall to save space, or slip it under a table.

The console has touch-sensitive buttons you can use to change the incline, pick a preset workout program, and quickly adjust to speed to one of three preset options.

There’s also a dial in the center you use to start and stop the treadmill and adjust the speed, which is done in 0.1 increments with each turn, so it can take a while to get up to speed at the start of a run.

On the top of the console is a phone or tablet holder that looks small, but was very effective in holding my iPad during runs. I worried that it would shake off, but it stayed firmly in place even when using the machine at high speed or incline settings.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: performance

I ran once or twice a week on the WalkingPad G5i treadmill over several weeks of marathon training.

The top speed of 10mph is not fast enough for my workouts and for the price I’d expect a top speed of 12-12.5mph, which you’ll find on other treadmills for less, but it’s still a reasonable top speed for a foldable machine.

I found that the WalkingPad G5i did run smoothly for long periods at its max speed as well. It feels sturdier than most folding models in this regard, and the belt is surprisingly spacious for a folding treadmill.

However, if I tried to change the incline when running at high speeds things did get shaky. Once the incline is set, the shaking settles down, but it takes a very long time for the machine to change the incline, which rises/lowers by one level at a time using the buttons on the console.

If you’re walking on the machine while changing the incline the shaking isn’t so noticeable, and very few people are going to be running on the WalkingPad G5i once it gets anywhere near its 18% max incline, because that is very steep indeed.

There are preset workouts you can pick using the P button on the console before you start, which are explained/previewed in the user manual, but it’s more convenient to set these workouts up and follow them using the partner KS Fit app.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: app

The partner app for the WalkingPad G5i is the KS Fit app, not the WalkingPad+ app, which I found constantly crashed and wouldn’t connect to the treadmill.

With the KS Fit app installed, things were much smoother. The app connects easily to the treadmill and maintains that connection, and you can use it to follow guided workouts and adjust the settings on the WalkingPad G5i during activities.

The app does stay in portrait mode even on an iPad though, which means the stats and info on show is a bit cramped.

There are a lot of walking and running workouts in the app, but even though a ‘coach’ does appear on screen to run with you during them, they’re not an instructor and don’t speak to guide or motivate you in the session.

It’s not as helpful or engaging as the fully guided classes with instructors you get with Peloton or Echelon, but the sessions are a good option if you just need a bit of variety or prompting in what to do in your workouts.

During testing I also tried to link the WalkingPad G5i with other apps like Zwift, but the connection never held. Fortunately I can link to Zwift on my Coros Pace 4 Pro running watch and use that to match my speed to the treadmill.

Should you buy the WalkingPad G5i treadmill?

The WalkingPad G5i offers something special in combining its tri-fold design with a very high max incline setting, which makes it great for people short on space who love doing intense walking workouts in particular.

It’s also a capable option for runners, though if you’re not worried about incline then the X Series models from WalkingPad offer the tri-fold design and higher max speeds at a lower price.

If you have room for a machine that only folds flat, the Urevo CyberMega impressed me in testing with its high top speed and powerful motor, and it costs $999.

I’d also consider looking at a Peloton or Echelon treadmill instead if you prefer to do instructor-led classes — the Echelon Stride-6s-10 is a good folding option, though more expensive than the WalkingPad G5i and you’ll also have to pay for a monthly subscription to unlock the classes.

The WalkingPad G5i did impress me in testing overall, but there are some better value alternatives out there if you don’t need its tri-fold/high incline combo.