Just like the ocean is filled with all types of fascinating creatures, the fitness world is flooded with cardio machines of all shapes and sizes. While familiar faces like NordicTrack and Sole have been around for quite some time, a newer entrant to the gym equipment space has started to quietly carve out a reputation for producing some of the best ellipticals, rowers, and exercise bikes: YOSUDA.
As a certified personal trainer (CPT) and longtime athlete, I’m always willing to keep an open mind about less-established brands and new products. After all, there’s always room for innovation and improvement in this evolving industry.
In this YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical review, I’ll cover everything from the dimensions and ergonomics to the built-in programming and tech capabilities so you can emerge from the depths with all the knowledge you need to decide if this is the right addition to your home gym.
Stride It Out: Behind the Scenes of Our In-Depth Elliptical Testing Process
The Garage Gym Reviews squad includes CPTs, certified nutrition coaches, CrossFit competitors, and an Olympian weightlifter. While not all of us are fans of doing cardio exercises at home, we understand the importance of taking care of your heart health and making wise investments. Whether we’re testing the best treadmills or the top rowing machines,, we take every step, stride, or stroke seriously so you can trust our gym equipment reviews are as thorough as possible.
When evaluating ellipticals, we use our fitness equipment testing methodology to grade critical factors using a 1-5 scoring system. Out of the 12 categories we assess, here are the most important:
- Footprint and portability: How much space does the elliptical take up? Can you easily move it, or is it a fickle beast that stays firmly in place once it’s set up?
- Durability: Is there any wobbling or stability issues when in use? How heavy is the flywheel? Does the max user weight accommodate a majority of home gym owners?
- Adjustability and ergonomics: Can you adjust the pedals? Does the stride length prevent taller users from using the machine comfortably?
- Dynamic programming: Does the machine have built-in programs? Can you choose workouts based on interval training, target heart, rate, or calories burned?
- Conveniencies: We appreciate features like water bottle holders, a media shelf for holding your phone or tablet, and cooling fans.
- Value: Do the features and build quality justify the price? Is there a required monthly subscription cost to utilize the elliptical to its full potential?
For this YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical review, I’ll break down the specs, pricing, and other relevant information while interweaving GGR Everything Lead Reviewer Lindsay Scheele’s first-hand experience so you get a nose-to-tail view of this impressive machine.
RELATED: Best Elliptical Workout
The Yosuda Dolphin elliptical is a solid pick for folks looking for a low-impact cardio option that fits in tight spaces. It’s quiet, compact, and beginner-friendly—but more experienced athletes might want something with heavier resistance and interactive features.
A Quick Look at the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical
Created in April 2018, the YOSUDA brand promotes the concept of “family fitness and healthy life” by designing and producing different cardio machines. The founder, Eric Zeng, started the company as a way to help his wife overcome persistent health problems, eventually developing various exercise bikes, rowers, and ellipticals aimed at the home gym community.
Currently, YOSUDA offers three elliptical options, including the E5 Under-Desk Elliptical Machine and the E9 Cardio Climber Stepping Elliptical Machine. Meanwhile, the Dolphin Elliptical is a gym-grade machine that features a 20-pound flywheel, 32 levels of electromagnetic resistance, a heavy-duty steel frame, 12 built-in programs, and compatibility with several apps.
RELATED: YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike Review
Before You Buy
- The YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical has a list price of $1,699.99, making it about twice as expensive as the Horizon EX-59 (one of GGR’s favorite ellipticals). However, it’s priced similarly to the NordicTrack AirGlide 14i, which earned our nomination for the best elliptical with incline.
- The Dolphin Elliptical has 12 progressive built-in programs spread across three different modes: beginner, advance, and sporty. This lets you tailor a long-term training plan according to your fitness level and goals.
- YOSUDA offers a 30-day return policy and a 30-day price match guarantee. However, all returns are subject to a 10% restocking fee.
- There may be discount codes or limited-time offers that allow you to score significant savings on this elliptical. For example, we’ve seen it priced as low as $1,105 during a promotional sale period.
RELATED: Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical Review
YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical Video Review
Is the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical Worth It?
Although my colleague Lindsay Scheele wouldn’t put this machine at the top of her best elliptical list, she still believes it’s a rock-solid option for home gym owners who can fit it in their budget. At around $1,700, the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical certainly isn’t cheap, and you can definitely find other options for far less. (In fact, check out our best ellipticals under $1,000 roundup if you’re curious).
Ultimately, though, from a build quality and performance standpoint, this machine delivers. You get a well-constructed, stable elliptical with built-in programs, 32 levels of electromagnetic resistance, and 20 incline levels. Plus, we like that it’s compatible with several apps. It may not have everything you’d like for the price (more on that later), but we give it our stamp of approval.
Great for:
- Taller users who will appreciate the 20-inch stride length
- Exercise enthusiasts who enjoy built-in programming
- Home gym owners with limited space, as the Dolphin Elliptical has a fairly compact footprint compared to some full-sized models
- Those with joint issues who want a low-impact workout that can benefit their heart health and flexibility1
Not recommended for:
- Users who want a fully immersive experience, as this doesn’t offer iFIT programming like a NordicTrack elliptical
- Folks on a tight budget
- People who want the brand prestige of NordicTrack, Sole, or Precor over a lesser-known company like YOSUDA
- Those who don’t like wearing headphones, as the built-in speakers left us massively underwhelmed
YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical Specs
| Price | $1,700 |
| Footprint | 74” L x 38” W x 68” H |
| Weight | 202 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 330 lbs |
| Display | 6.5″ LCD white back-lit |
| Flywheel weight | 20 lb flywheel |
| Stride length | 20” |
| Incline levels | 20 |
| Resistance levels | 32 |
| Warranty | 3-year frame warranty |
Using the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical
GGR Everything Lead Reviewer and cardio machine connoisseur Lindsay Scheele put the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical through our rigorous testing process. While she had a few notable callouts, she enjoyed her training experience and appreciated many of the user-friendly features. Let’s glide into the details and see where the Dolphin Elliptical delivered and where it fell short.
Footprint and Portability
Weighing 202 pounds and featuring a footprint of 74 inches long by 38 inches wide by 68 inches high, the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical is both longer and wider than one of our favorites, the NordicTrack AirGlide 14i. However, it proved to be fairly portable thanks to its design.
“It didn’t feel like a 202-pound deadlift. Between the way the weight is distributed, the handlebar on the back and the wheels on the front, you’re essentially only lifting like half of that weight,” Lindsay explains.
Is this the most compact elliptical? Not necessarily. But we still rate it a 4 out of 5 for footprint and portability, as most users shouldn’t have trouble moving it.
Delivery and Setup
Some machines require tremendous manpower and brainpower to put together. Luckily, the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical doesn’t fall into that category.
“The assembly was fairly easy. It only took our guy about an hour,” Lindsay says, rating the delivery and setup a 5 out of 5.
YOSUDA deserves credit for providing clear assembly instructions — something we don’t always see with other manufacturers.
“There were no sort of tricks involved. It came together really well, so I do think one person can easily assemble this themselves,” Lindsay says.
Customizations and Dynamic Programming
Although you don’t get the fully immersive iFIT experience like you do with a NordicTrack machine, the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical has 12 progressive built-in programs. Essentially, you have three modes with four levels.
- Beginner: Resistance slowly increases to stabilize heart rate and breathing
- Advance: Resistance quickly increases to improve workout efficiency
- Sporty: Intermittent resistance, fast fat-burning
RELATED: Elliptical HIIT Workout
Lindsay liked that you can set your target heart rate using the built-in programming. For example, if you don’t want your heart rate to go above 125, you can program that and receive an alert when your heart rate is above that level.
“With the advanced levels, it’s going to go ahead and increase that resistance and intensity,” Lindsay explains. “The sporty program is more of a fat-burning function so it’s going to do a lot of interval-style training.”
Overall, we rate the programming a 4 out of 5.
Adjustability and Ergonomics
The YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical is a comfortable, well-designed machine featuring a sturdy steel frame and four wide rails to ensure a stable training experience. In addition, it has a 20-pound flywheel.
“This is actually a great flywheel weight, and I would say most ellipticals around this price point do come with that 20-pound flywheel,” Lindsay explains.
Featuring large foot pads with a comfortable, grippy cushion, you can look forward to hassle-free workouts on the Dolphin Elliptical.
“I didn’t feel like I was slipping when I was using them even at the incline. It moves super smooth and was also pretty quiet while I went ahead and used the machine or even raised the incline,” Lindsay says, rating the adjustability and ergonomics a 5 out of 5.
Another feature worth highlighting is the 20-inch stride length. We like to see 18 to 20 inches when evaluating ellipticals, so this is right on the money.
“If you’re taller than 5’7”, this is going to be a great stride length for you,” Lindsay says.
Tech Capabilities and Conveniences
Equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical connects to heart rate monitors and your phone. However, if you had plans to ditch your headphones for the built-in speakers, think again.
“These speakers are so bad,” Lindsay says. “The sound was crunchy and it wasn’t very loud, and there was no way to control the volume on the actual machine.”
Meanwhile, the “cooling” fan left Lindsay more hot and bothered than refreshed and relaxed.
“The first two levels I didn’t even notice it was blowing air to me unless I held my hand exactly where the fan was. I would drag in a big fan from Walmart or Costco if you’re hot in your home gym because the fan provided absolutely nothing,” Lindsay explains.
RELATED: Best Fans for Garage Gyms
It’s not all bad, though. We appreciate that the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical is compatible with several fitness apps, including Feier, iConsole+, and Kinomap. The console also presents real-time metrics like time, speed, distance, calories, watt, BAI, and heart rate. However, the body fat detection system was highly inaccurate for Lindsay, so we don’t recommend relying on it. Overall, we rate the tech capabilities a 3.5 out of 5 and the conveniences a disappointing 2 out of 5.
YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical vs NordicTrack AirGlide 14i
The NordicTrack AirGlide 14i Elliptical offers both incline and decline training, an adjustable stride length, and a 14-inch touchscreen display for iFIT interactive programming. You’ll enjoy the AirGlide if you want to break a sweat with expert instruction and motivation from iFIT trainers and coaches.
What our tester says:
“I also love the AutoAdjust features brought on via the programming. Rather than adjusting settings yourself, the machine automatically does it for you in accordance with your on-screen instructor.”
If you’re looking for an apples-to-apples comparison, this one is fairly close. Priced almost exactly the same, the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical and the NordicTrack AirGlide 14i will cost you around $1,700. While the former has a slightly higher weight capacity (330 pounds versus. 300 pounds) and longer stride length (20 inches vs. 17.8 to 18.5 inches), the latter boasts a better display and superior warranty.
However, you’ll have to pay a subscription cost to utilize NordicTrack’s iFIT programming, which falls around $40 per month. That’s an important factor to consider, especially if you’re operating on a tight budget.
For more details, check out our full NordicTrack AirGlide 14i review.
| YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical | NordicTrack AirGlide 14i | |
| Price | $1,700 | $1,799 |
| Footprint | 74” L x 38” W x 68” H | 69″ L x 25″ W x 71″ H |
| Weight | 231 lbs (in box) | 244 lbs (in box) |
| Max User Weight | 330 lbs | 300 lbs |
| Display | 6.5″ LCD white back-lit | 14” smart HD touchscreen |
| Stride Length | 20” | 17.8″ to 18.5″ |
| Flywheel | 20 lbs | 32 lbs |
| Resistance Levels | 32 | 26 |
| Warranty | 3-year frame warranty | 10-year frame warranty2-year parts warranty1-year labor warranty |
Customer Experience
YOSUDA provides a 3-year frame warranty on this elliptical. While that’s solid, it’s still a little shorter than we’d like to see.
“That’s pretty decent, although there are some ellipticals that reach more of that 5- to 10-year mark,” Lindsay says.
The company has a 30-day return policy— with some important caveats. First, all items must be returned in their original packaging. In most cases, customers are also responsible for paying for return shipping. Plus, YOSUDA charges a 10% restocking fee.
So, if you have any reservations about your purchase, make sure to save the original packaging. Otherwise, YOSUDA will not issue a refund if the item is returned in non-original packaging.
Ordering the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical
You can order the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical directly through the company website. You have several payment options, including PayPal or a credit or debit card. In addition, YOSUDA offers several financing routes via Klarna or After Pay, allowing you to split your purchase into interest-free payments.
According to Lindsay, it takes five to seven business days for your elliptical to be shipped, and you should receive it within two weeks of purchase.
Customer Reviews
The YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical has earned a 5-star rating based on one review on the company’s official website. Take a look at the customer’s feedback so you can get a complete picture of what to expect with this cardio machine, while also realizing this is just one person’s opinion. We hope to see more customer reviews in the future.
Final Verdict of Our YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical Review
The YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical machine is sturdy, stable, and comes with a solid set of features. However, there are some drawbacks to consider (the conveniences and tech capabilities are somewhat lacking), and the price tag certainly isn’t something to scoff at. That said, this is a well-built machine that should hold up well as you work toward improving your cardiovascular fitness and overall health.
Full Rating
YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical
The Yosuda Dolphin elliptical is a solid pick for folks looking for a low-impact cardio option that fits in tight spaces. It’s quiet, compact, and beginner-friendly—but more experienced athletes might want something with heavier resistance and interactive features.
Product Brand: YOSUDA
Product Currency: USD
Product Price: 1699.99
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.8
YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical Review: FAQs
What is the best elliptical on the market?
After testing more than 20 models, our team chose the Horizon Fitness EX-59 as the best overall elliptical machine. If you’re looking for something with a few more bells and whistles, we recommend the NordicTrack AirGlide 14i.
What are the pros and cons of the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical?
Based on our testing experience, we like the YOSUDA Dolphin Elliptical’s build quality, built-in programming, 20” stride length, and compatibility with different fitness apps. On the other hand, the cooling fans and speakers left us disappointed, and the 3-year frame warranty is inferior to many other elliptical manufacturers.
How do I know if I should get an elliptical or a treadmill?
As a certified personal trainer, I recommend an elliptical if you want low-impact, joint-friendly workouts. Treadmills are better for walking, running, or higher-intensity training. Consider your fitness goals, joint health, budget, and preferred training style when choosing between these two cardio machines.
References
- Topp, R., Etnoyer-Slaski, J., & Greenstein, J. (2023). Heart Rate Response and Flexibility Following Single Bout of Training Using a Seated Elliptical Trainer Among Younger and Older Adults. Clinical nursing research, 32(4), 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1177/10547738221141390
