Franklin will soon be rolling out a new X-44 pickleball that will have 44 holes instead of the X-40’s 40 holes, and which will be more durable, have a higher bounce by approximately 2 inches, and play faster than the X-40 pickleball. Franklin expects this new pickleball to become the new industry standard, but as of now, it has not said that it will be retiring its X-40 pickleball.
It is also important to note that Franklin X-44 balls are not currently on the USA Pickleball approved ball list, so they cannot currently be used in sanctioned tournaments. But that could change in the future.
Nonetheless, I wanted to make you aware that this new ball will be rolling out in the November 2026 through January 2027 timeframe, and the Capital Area Pickleball Association (CAPA) hopes to have some available at a discount for members in the near future through its pickleball resale program. More details on that will be forthcoming.
