Lowrance Elite 4 Fishfinder

Last updated on February 10th, 2024

Ready for an awesome Lowrance elite 4 review? Today, you can find a huge variety of fish finders out there regardless of your needs. Some models are more depth-oriented while others work better in shallow water. Elite-4 is more like a fish finder for not very deep water. If you are looking for a model with quality large-area readings, this review is for you.

Welcome to the Elite 4 fishfinder review! Here, we will examine the features of the fish finder, which makes it a great suit for those who want to have detail rather than depth. Besides, we will answer a couple of questions on this device and fish finders in general. Let’s get started with our review! We have reviewed Lowrance Elite 3X  before if you can remember.

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Lowrance Elite 4 Review-in Details

Transducer

The CHIRP hybrid dual imaging (HDI) 500W RMS sonar transducer of Elite-4 features multiple advantages, including easier identification of fish and distinguishing between bait and fish target, better operation at greater depths, and marking of targets at higher boat speeds. The transducer module of Elite-4 operates at 800/455 kHz (DownScan Imaging) and high-med 200/83 kHz frequencies. This allows you to get detailed recordings more on the large area than depth. The transducer’s max depth is 300ft @ 455 kHz, 1000ft @ 83 kHz.

GPS & Cartography

Let’s now focus on GPS in this Lowrance elite 4 review. Elite-4 features a highly accurate inbuilt GPS, but it would be not as helpful without the advanced cartography this fish finder can offer. At default, this model comes with more than 3000 preinstalled US lakes, rivers, and coastal contours to 1000ft.

Another noteworthy feature of the cartography of Elite-4 is its Insight Genesis system. With it, you will be able to create your own custom maps from your sonar data. Speaking of your sonar data, the TrackBack feature will allow you to review recorded sonar history, which includes structure and transitions of fish targets. Then, you can pinpoint locations with custom waypoints.

If for some reason you happen to be unsatisfied with the base features of Elite-4’s cartography, you can upgrade to such mapping options as Lake Insight Pro, Nautic Insight Pro and HD, Navionics+, Hotmaps Premium, Fishing Hotspots Pro, and Jepessen C-Map Max-N.

Read More topics: Lowrance Elite-7 TI review!

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Display

All that data would be impossible to see and analyze without a quality display. That’s why Elite-4 has a 480 x 272 4.3-inch color display! It features great detail, which really helps with making this fish finder a convenient and easy to use the device. The only downside of this screen is that its size may be too small for your needs.

Despite the small size, the user interface of Elite-4 is pretty easy to read. It shows data on speed, depth, temperature, time, and other data in accordance with the layout you have chosen. With the preset page layouts, you can see a three-panel view with a chart, CHIRP sonar ranges, and data of DownScan Imaging.

By the way, you can download a regional pack with 30 languages if want to see a language other than English.

Controls

You would want your fish finder to come with convenient controls, and Elite-4 has little to no issues with that! It has clearly marked buttons to control your fish finder with. Another notable touch to this model’s keypad is that it has a menu selector. It saves space and facilitates switching between menus and selecting the elements you want.

Here, we should mention quite a serious drawback of the selector. While it can really come in handy and make going back and forth in the UI much quicker, it won’t be great for typing, for example, the names of your custom waypoints. You can’t really do anything about it as most fish finders you can find have such design. But an alternative for this would be buying a touch screen fish finder.

Pros

• The HDI transducer delivers a balance between detail and depth.
• Accurate GPS plus advanced cartography with more than 3000 rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.
• The Insight Genesis system allows you to create your own custom maps based on your sonar data.
• The TrackBack feature will allow you to view the recorded sonar data and pinpoint the important location.
• Available map expansions.
• High-resolution quality color screen with convenient UI.
• A variety of preset page layouts to ease reading your data.
• 30 additional languages included into the regional pack.
• Clear buttons plus an easy to use menu selector.

Cons

• Low max depth.
• Small display.
• Complaints on the readability of the display under sunlight.
• The menu selector is inconvenient for typing.
• Not shipped internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there preinstalled maps of territories outside the US?

No. But you can, for example, check the Navionics website to see if there are maps for your location.

Are the default maps high-detail?

No, the unit comes with a US basemap only. If you want a detailed map, you should get a map extension.

Do the basemaps include Hawaii waters?

The basemaps include the contiguous US only. If you want to get a map for other territories, you should look for a map extension.

So who should buy Elite-4?

As you could have seen from the review, this model features pretty detail-oriented characteristics. The 800/455 & 200/83 kHz transducer delivers great results in shallow water, but it will be not as efficient in deeper waters. At 83 kHz, the maximum depth of the model is 1000ft, so this is not a fish finder for great depths.

In addition, if you are okay with the small screen and the buttons of Elite-4, this fish finder should satisfy you.

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Conclusion

Now you know what we meant by saying that Elite-4 delivers an exceptional level of detail! It is one of the best fish finders of its class on the market. As little drawbacks, we can mention the menu selector and the small display, but if that doesn’t bother you, you should at least look into this model really carefully! But do not rush to make the purchase. Determine your requirements, know what fits them, and if this model is the most appropriate choice, go get it! Good luck!