Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill review

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill is an affordable running machine that provides an excellent home workout for people who like walking and jogging. It’s amazingly fast to assemble – just five minutes – and you can move it around easily thanks to its transportation wheels. You might need help if you want to move it up a flight of stairs, but otherwise, it’s easy enough to get out of the box and set up on your own. It’s a space-friendly machine, as you can fold it up and stow it away – although you have to unscrew the four main screws in order to do this.

We love that despite the small 2.5 HP motor, the Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill can reach speeds of up to 7.5mph/12kph, which is more than adequate to burn some calories and lose weight. There’s no incline option, speakers or Bluetooth connectivity, and it’s lacking in any of the high-tech gadgetry you might expect from a modern treadmill. On the plus side, the treadmill is very easy to use, works well as a basic running machine and has a slimline and compact design.

The treadmill doesn’t have an accompanying app but you can prop up a tablet or smartphone in the device holder and use the iFit or Peloton app to access virtual classes (subscription needed). Of course, the price is one of the most appealing points: the Urevo Foldi 1 Foldable Treadmill is available to buy at Urevo and Amazon for $369.99 USD / £329.99 / $520.61 AUD.

Still not sure? Take a look at Live Science’s guide to the best treadmills or these under desk treadmill deals to help you make a decision.

Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill review: Set up and usability

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill comes with an instruction manual and all the tools needed to put it together, and we must say this was one of the easiest set ups we’ve ever done. The hardest part was lifting the treadmill out of the box (it weighs 75 lbs / 34kg). It took five minutes to fit the four screws needed to tighten the dashboard in place and attach the safety key to the magnet. After that, it was good to go! Quick tip: do not over-tighten these wing screws – you have to be able to undo them again to fold the treadmill flat; if they are too tight, you won’t be able to get them out.

The machine itself is compact and slimline with black and orange colors, including a big orange UREVO logo on the belt itself. It doesn’t have an inbuilt touchscreen, but rather a simple console that gives key metrics including time, distance, speed and calories burned.

The dashboard has a narrow space for a phone or tablet, and two short handrails. It comes with a safety key; the treadmill won’t work until this has been attached to a magnet during assembly. This key stops the machine from starting by accident and works as an emergency stop if you pull it out. The treadmill enters sleep mode if it’s not used for 10 minutes, which turns off the display. To start it again, just press any button.

When you hit the Start button, there’s a three-second delay before the belt starts moving. This is indicated by a 3-2-1 countdown on the display. Hit the Start button to see the basic display – time, speed and calories burned. The 12 preset workouts have variations on speed and time. 

Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill review: Design and display

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill is a simple but well-designed piece of kit, especially considering its low price. It has six buttons on the dashboard - -speed, program, mode, +speed, start and stop. The Mode button changes between normal (manual), timed, distance and calorie countdown.

The treadmill has a soft drop system that helps it fold up, and it comes with transport wheels so it’s fairly easy to move around. Simply lift the treadmill from the back and wheel it around to a new location. The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill also comes with six mini mat squares that you can put under each corner to protect the floor. You could invest in a proper treadmill mat if you wanted to, but these seemed fine to start off with.

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill is easy to store away and if you’ve got six inches to spare, you can slot it under a couch or bed. When folded, the treadmill measures 59” x 28” x 5.5”.

It’s fairly quiet when walking on it, but gets louder when you start running, so you probably don’t want to position the treadmill in a room where people are trying to work, watch TV or sleep.  

The belt and platform feel strong and supportive, with a cushioned deck to prevent impact injuries associated with running. The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill also has a stabilizing design to prevent the connecting rod from shaking during your workout. 

The tread belt is 16.5” x 45”, which makes it ideal for walking. You can run on it too, and it can reach speeds of 7.5mph (12kph), but taller people might find they need to consider a belt that is 60” long in order not to feel constricted. 

There’s no water bottle holder on the treadmill, but you can put your phone or tablet in the device holder at the front of the console. The dashboard is fairly sparse and basic, but it has all the controls you need to enjoy a walk or run. 

The treadmill is made of prime steel and plastic and it’s low to the ground with a step-up height of 3.5 inches, so it’s easy to get on and off, especially if you have mobility problems.

Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill review: Features

There is no incline, no Bluetooth compatibility, no speakers or heart rate sensors – this is a very basic treadmill designed for walking and running.

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill has 12 pre-set programs to try. These have varying speeds, which automatically change during the workout.

There’s a shallow device holder on the dashboard, but to be honest it’s a little unstable, especially when running. The dashboard is wide enough to prop a laptop on, but we wouldn’t recommend doing this unless you are walking - it’s too wobbly, and the laptop would fall straight off during a run. The same goes for the device holder – we found an iPad seriously shook when we started to run, so wouldn't recommend putting your smartphone or tablet in the device holder unless you are doing a gentle walk.

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill doesn’t come with an app or virtual classes, but you can use something like the Peloton or iFit app if you want to do live or on-demand workouts to stay motivated (a subscription is required for these services).

Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill: Performance

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill has a small and quiet 2.5 HP motor, which runs smoothly and with minimal noise. It emits a gentle humming sound, and in fact, your feet hitting the belt are probably louder than the treadmill itself.

We measured the decibel (dB) levels on the Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill: 

• During a 2.5-mile jog at various speeds, the noise level went up to 70 dB (still similar to a normal conversation);
• A 2.5-mile run at speed 12 (the maximum supported) was 85 dB (similar to city traffic); 
• On Program 1, a 30-minute run with automatically changing speeds from 4-10, the noise level was 73 decibels (similar to a vacuum cleaner).

While it is compact, this running machine can apparently withstand weights of up to 260lbs / 117kg. The belt has shock absorbers and a fairly decent spring, and we like the grip on the edge of the deck, which prevents you from slipping when you get on the belt.

The running belt is fairly short, so when we started running we worried we might slip off the back. Because it’s shorter than the average treadmill, it’s probably best suited to people under 6ft. This treadmill seems to work best for walking and light jogging.

The short handrails are made of plastic and don’t feel sturdy enough to put any weight on them - they are just there for support. The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill has a stabilizing design to prevent connecting rods from shaking during exercise, which helps reduce the noise factor, too.

Should you buy the Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill?

The Urevo Foldi 1 Folding Treadmill is a fantastic running machine for people on a budget who want to get fit at home without spending a fortune. It doesn’t have an incline range or a high-tech app with virtual classes, but it can reach speeds of 7.5mph, is fairly quiet and has a very friendly price point. 

If this product isn’t for you

The ProForm Premier 900 is a great value treadmill ($1299) with a touchscreen console, powerful 3.0 CHP motor and inbuilt cooling system. It’s foldable and has advanced shock absorbers to help protect your joints during a workout.

If money isn’t an issue, The NordicTrack Commercial 2950 treadmill ($2,999) is one of the most high-tech machines available, with a big touchscreen and an impressive library of live and on-demand classes via the iFit app. It also has a wide decline to incline range (-6 to +15) so it’s great for hill runs and interval training.

At a similar price point, the Peloton Tread is a well-designed, high-performance treadmill that offers a huge variety of live and on-demand workouts. It retails at $2495 (plus an extra subscription fee for the Peloton app, $39/month) so it’s not cheap, but if you’re looking for the ultimate home treadmill with all the bells and whistles, this is the one.