Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 vs Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5:
Which to Choose

On paper the two look like twins — pace 6/6, cushioning 5/6, responsiveness 6/6, stability 2/6, neutral support, carbon plate — but the differences are in the architecture. The biggest change is the plate: the Pro 4 runs full-length carbon-infused EnergyRods through the midsole, while the Pro 5 swaps to an EnergyRim, a carbon perimeter that wraps the foam instead of running through it. That lets Adidas pack more Lightstrike Pro directly under the foot and extract noticeably more energy return, and it shifts the feel slightly — the Pro 4 has that rod-driven snap, while the Pro 5 feels a touch softer and more foam-forward underfoot before it springs you off the toe. Stack height tells the story: both sit at 39mm in the heel, but the Pro 5 raises the forefoot from 33mm to 35mm, dropping the offset from roughly 6mm to 4mm — a lower drop that pushes you even further onto the forefoot and encourages a committed midfoot strike. Foam composition differs too: the Pro 4 stacks two layers of PEBA Lightstrike Pro, where the Pro 5 pairs a PEBA top layer over an ATPU base. The Pro 5 is also meaningfully lighter — about 175g in a men's US 9 versus roughly 200g for the Pro 4 — and rides on a slightly wider platform, which takes a little of the edge off the Pro 4's famously tippy, high-wire feel at slower speeds (though neither is remotely a stable shoe — both are 2/6 and will wobble at easy jog pace). The one place the Pro 4 is arguably more versatile is range: it's rated for 10K through the marathon, while the Pro 5 is pitched squarely at the half and full, with the marathon as its clear sweet spot. Both lock the foot down with a thin, snug, narrow race upper that won't suit wide feet.