Lowrance Eagle 4X Fish Finder
| Overall Rating | 80.6% |
| Grade | Good |
| Maximum Depth | 500 ft |
| Sonar Frequencies | 200 kHz |
| CHIRP |  |
| Display Size | 4.3 Inches |
| GPS | |
| Chartplotter | |
| Down Imaging | |
| Side Imaging | |
| Transducer Included |  |
| Suitability for Kayaks & Small Craft | |
| Water Temperature Sensor | |
Lowrance Eagle 4X: What Anglers Are Saying
The Lowrance Eagle 4X is a beginner-friendly fish finder with very simple operation and an Autotuning feature, making it well-suited for targeting shallow-water species like trout and pike.
Its limitations include a wide 85° cone angle, which is optimal for depths down to about 35 feet, and a limited maximum depth of 500 feet. Furthermore, it lacks important modern features like GPS, CHIRP sonar, and any mapping capabilities, and it uses a single-frequency 200 kHz sonar.
This fish finder is ideal for beginners looking for an uncomplicated device for shallow to medium-depth waters, who can do without advanced functions like precise hotspot marking or highly detailed underwater images. It’s an excellent choice for anglers seeking a budget-friendly solution to focus on basic fish finding, especially when fishing from an inflatable or belly boat.
This article offers a comprehensive review of the Lowrance Eagle 4X. We’ve summarized relevant customer reviews and clearly laid out the most important pros and cons of this fish finder for you.
Lowrance Eagle 4X: The Official Editor’s Review
Maximum Depth / Sonar Frequencies / CHIRP
The Lowrance Eagle 4X reaches a maximum depth of 500 feet in saltwater. It operates exclusively on a single 200 kHz transducer frequency, which offers a good compromise between depth penetration and target resolution.
This model does not include a CHIRP function for creating high-resolution images.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X is a fish finder that offers a maximum depth capability of 500 feet. This places it in the lower range among comparable models, on par with units like the Hook Reveal 5X SplitShot, which reaches the same depth.
A unique feature of the Eagle 4X is its exclusive use of a single 200 kHz frequency for its sonar beams – a characteristic that sets it apart from many other fish finders in our comparison that utilize multiple frequencies.
To properly understand the performance of this frequency, it’s important to know the relationship between frequency, depth, and image detail. Generally, lower frequencies penetrate deeper into the water but provide less detailed images.
Higher frequencies, on the other hand, offer significantly higher resolution for a more detailed picture but cannot reach the same depths. The 200 kHz frequency used by the Eagle 4X represents a well-thought-out compromise.
It allows for adequate depth penetration while simultaneously providing good resolution for the underwater image. However, it should be noted that this fish finder does not have a CHIRP function, which is essential for the highly-detailed images needed for advanced fish and structure detection.
Display Size / GPS / Chartplotter
The Lowrance Eagle 4X is equipped with a 4.3-inch display. It does not have a GPS function for marking hotspots or a chartplotter for navigation. This makes it particularly well-suited for smaller to medium-sized bodies of water.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X features a clear 4.3-inch display with a 272 x 480 pixel resolution. This display size and resolution are standard in this class of device and are comparable to models like the Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv and the Garmin Striker Plus 4.
The operation of the Eagle 4X is kept especially simple. Unlike some other 4-inch fish finders, it focuses on displaying a single image at a time—whether it’s the menu, the sonar view, or the flasher view (for ice fishing or vertical jigging).
A crucial aspect for many anglers is a GPS function to mark and relocate hotspots. A chartplotter, which displays digital nautical charts and visualizes the boat’s position in real-time, is also useful for navigating on larger bodies of water.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X has neither of these functions. This makes it particularly well-suited for use on smaller and medium-sized waters where relocating fishing spots is less complex. As an alternative for GPS tracking, you can always just use your smartphone.
Fish Finder Features / Down Imaging / Side Imaging
The Lowrance Eagle 4X makes finding fish easier with its Autotuning Sonar and double sonar coverage, provided by its especially wide 85° cone angle. This allows for a broader scan of the underwater area.
However, it does not have DownScan Imaging for detailed pictures directly beneath the boat, nor does it have SideScan Imaging for a wide-angle view of the areas to the sides.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X was designed to make finding fish as effective as possible for anglers, relying on two central features.
The built-in Autotuning Sonar is an essential feature that significantly simplifies operation: it automatically adjusts the sonar settings as fishing conditions change.
Regardless of whether you’re in very shallow or especially deep water, this function ensures you always have an optimal sonar image without needing to make manual adjustments. This maximizes your time spent fishing and reduces the learning curve for complex settings.
Another advantage is the unit’s double sonar coverage, provided by an impressive 85° cone angle. This wide cone allows for a much broader scan of the underwater area compared to many traditional fish finders that often use narrower angles.
The wider coverage significantly increases the probability of discovering schools of fish or individual targets that might be off to the side of the boat. A larger scan area means more potentially productive water is covered, which greatly improves your efficiency in finding fish.
However, it is important to note that the Lowrance Eagle 4X is not equipped with the DownScan Imaging feature. This Lowrance technology uses a high-frequency, razor-thin sonar beam to create sharp, picture-like images of the underwater world directly beneath the boat.
It allows for detailed identification of bottom structure, submerged vegetation, and schools of fish. This function is especially beneficial for precisely identifying bottom features and the fish holding near them.
Comparable technologies from other manufacturers include Humminbird’s Down Imaging or Garmin’s ClearVü. The following models from our comparison have a function like this:
Lowrance’s SideScan Imaging technology provides an impressive wide-angle perspective of the underwater environment. It works by using a high-frequency sonar beam to rapidly scan the areas on both sides of your boat.
The individual scans are then seamlessly stitched together into a single, detailed picture of the bottom and the structures it holds. This feature allows you to identify underwater landscapes, schools of fish, and objects that are not directly underneath your boat.
You can use the zoom function to get a closer look at details or mark promising structures and hotspots directly on the screen with a GPS waypoint, saving them for future fishing trips.
Comparable technologies are known as SideVü from Garmin and Side Imaging from Humminbird. The Lowrance Eagle 4X does not have the SideScan Imaging function. This advanced feature is available on Lowrance’s Eagle models starting with the 7-inch displays and up.
Transducer / Suitability for Kayak Fishing
The Lowrance Eagle 4X comes with the Bullet transducer included, making it ready to use right out of the box and ideal for inflatables and belly boats.
Its compact design and 4.3-inch display save space, while the lack of GPS and a chartplotter isn’t a major drawback on smaller bodies of water.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X is ready to go right out of the box because it comes packaged with the Bullet transducer. This means there are no extra costs, and you can get straight to fishing.
It is an excellent choice for use on inflatables and belly boats. Its compact size and 4.3-inch display take up very little space, which is a huge advantage in the limited area on these types of boats.
Since it has neither GPS nor a chartplotter, it does away with complex navigation functions that are rarely needed on small bodies of water or when fishing from a belly boat anyway.
The following models from our comparison are also well-suited for use on inflatables and belly boats:
Mounting a fish finder always depends on the specific type of boat. For inflatables, attaching the transducer to a solid transom is often recommended. When using belly boats, special strap systems that include a mounting plate work best, as they can be flexibly secured to one of the air chambers.
For those who prefer temporary solutions, for instance on rental boats where you want to avoid permanent installation, portable transducer poles or suction cup mounts are ideal, damage-free alternatives for attaching the fish finder transducer.
Customer Review Roundup: Feedback from Real Owners
The Lowrance Eagle 4X has over 80 customer reviews on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Let’s take a look at what the buyers are saying:
- Good product. Easy to install and works well.
- Nice unit for the money.
- Spend your money better elsewhere. This very inaccurate depth finder was terrible. It would read from 2 ft to 70 ft in the same spot and read 100 ft deeper than the deepest area of my lake.
- This is the second one of these that I have ordered, and now it is one day past the return date and the second one has stopped working after only turning it on twice. Would not recommend buying this!!!
- The package arrived in excellent condition and everything is functional. However, it says the seller is supposed to send me the warranty, and I still haven’t received it.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X receives sharply polarizing feedback from buyers, making it a product with a very mixed reputation. On one hand, some users report a positive experience, praising its excellent value and its simple, easy-to-install design that works well for basic needs.
However, a significant portion of feedback raises serious red flags regarding both performance and reliability. Several users report the depth finder is terribly inaccurate, with one detailing how the readings would jump erratically from 2 feet to 70 feet while in the same spot and even display depths 100 feet deeper than the lake’s maximum.
Durability is another major point of concern, with a particularly troubling review from a customer whose second unit failed after only being turned on twice, just one day after the return window closed.
Beyond the device itself, some buyers have also experienced logistical issues, such as not receiving the promised warranty from the seller, adding to the potential frustration.
Ultimately, the customer experience with the Lowrance Eagle 4X appears to be a hit-or-miss gamble. While it can be a simple, budget-friendly fish finder for some, there are significant risks of receiving an inaccurate or unreliable unit.
The Lowrance Eagle 4X is a good choice if you primarily fish in shallow waters down to about 35 feet deep, or if your target species, like trout and pike, tend to hold in the upper part of the water column.
It serves as a budget-friendly and user-friendly alternative to more complex fish finders like the Lowrance Hook Reveal 5X, which offer features such as CHIRP, GPS, and DownScan Imaging.
Lowrance Eagle 4X: Pros and Cons
The Lowrance Eagle 4X scores points with its simple operation and Autotuning, making it ideal for beginners and for targeting shallow-water fish like trout.
The downsides are its wide 85° cone angle, which is only optimal for depths down to about 35 feet, its limited depth capability of 500 feet, and the lack of GPS and CHIRP sonar. Furthermore, it is restricted to a single-frequency 200 kHz sonar.
Pros
- Purchased and rated by over 80 Amazon customers
- Very easy to use with its Autotuning feature
- Great for targeting shallow-water species like trout and pike
Cons
- Wide 85° cone angle is best suited for depths down to about 35 feet
- The lowest depth capability in our comparison, at up to 500 feet
- No GPS
- No CHIRP
- Single-frequency 200 kHz sonar only
The Lowrance Eagle 4X wins users over with its very simple operation and a built-in Autotuning feature, which makes it especially beginner-friendly. It has a proven track record with many Amazon buyers and is a recommended choice for targeting shallow-water species like trout and pike.
On the flip side, the Eagle 4X has some significant limitations. Its wide 85° cone angle is best suited for water depths down to about 35 feet; as the depth increases, the scanned area becomes very large, making it difficult to pinpoint a fish’s exact location.
With a maximum depth capability of 500 feet, it’s also among the shallowest-reading units in our comparison.
Furthermore, it lacks key modern features. The Eagle 4X has no GPS, which means marking and returning to hotspots isn’t possible on the unit itself.
It also doesn’t have CHIRP sonar, which would provide more detailed fish and structure imaging. Finally, its restriction to a single-frequency 200 kHz sonar limits the overall resolution of the sonar image.
For those looking for a more powerful alternative with a more comprehensive feature set, the Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv is worth considering.
That model offers CHIRP sonar, a greater depth capability, integrated GPS, and even a map-creation function, which is a huge advantage for more advanced anglers.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Lowrance Eagle 4X
Does the Lowrance Eagle 4X have a chartplotter?
No, the Lowrance Eagle 4X does not have a chartplotter. It also does not have a GPS function or any map-creation capabilities.
