The Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 chartplotter and fishfinder combo aimed at serious anglers and boaters who want a high-end unit without stepping all the way into the commercial realm. Available in 10-inch and 12-inch display sizes, the Ultra 2 delivers crisp touchscreen clarity with the kind of features you’d expect from a modern, high-performance marine display—think built-in sonar, preloaded charts, and wireless connectivity.

What sets the Ultra 2 apart is its balance of power and usability. It’s not a stripped-down unit for casual use, but it’s also not so complex that it requires a deep-dive into a manual just to set a waypoint. Whether you’re running offshore, working tidal creeks, or mapping out your own fishing spots on inland lakes, the ECHOMAP Ultra 2 is designed to handle a wide range of scenarios with a straightforward interface and solid hardware.

Key Features

If you’re considering a new fishfinder and chartplotter combo, the Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 packs a long list of capabilities into a streamlined unit. Here’s a quick look at some of the key features it brings to the table:

• Available in 10″ and 12″ Touchscreen Displays – Both sizes offer a bright, sunlight-readable screen with intuitive pinch-to-zoom and swipe navigation.
• Built-In Sonar Support – Includes Garmin CHIRP traditional sonar as well as UHD ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonar, giving you a clear picture of what’s below and around your boat (with compatible transducer).
• Preloaded Garmin Navionics+™ Maps – Covers U.S. coastal and inland waters, complete with Auto Guidance+™ and depth shading for route planning and hazard awareness.
• Wireless Networking – Allows sharing sonar, waypoints, and routes between compatible Garmin units on the boat without cables.
• ActiveCaptain® App Compatibility – Connect your smartphone for access to smart notifications, software updates, user-generated maps, and the OneChart™ feature.
• Quickdraw Contours Mapping – Create and save your own high-detail maps in real time with 1-foot contours, perfect for anglers who want to dial in unfamiliar water.
• Trolling Motor and Autopilot Control – Pair with a Garmin Force® trolling motor or compatible autopilot for on-screen control and route-following features.
• Optional inReach® Integration – Send and receive satellite messages and share trip details when connected to an inReach device.

Each of these features brings a different piece of functionality to the table, and while not every user will need them all, the ECHOMAP Ultra 2 is clearly built for flexibility.

Display and Interface

One of the first things you’ll notice about the Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 is the display—it’s bright, responsive, and easy to read even under full sun. Both the 10-inch and 12-inch models use a full-color touchscreen that’s designed for visibility in tough conditions, whether you’re fishing in open water or navigating a glare-heavy creek.

The interface itself follows Garmin’s usual clean, icon-based layout. It’s intuitive enough that most boaters can dive in and start using key functions without needing a tutorial. Navigation menus are simple, screen transitions are smooth, and customizing your home screen or splitting views—say, sonar and chart side-by-side—takes just a few taps.

While the touchscreen does most of the heavy lifting, physical buttons along one edge offer quick access to essential functions, which comes in handy when conditions get rough and touch control isn’t ideal. That combination of tactile buttons and touchscreen responsiveness is something a lot of users appreciate—especially anglers who are constantly on the move or wearing gloves.

Overall, the display and controls strike a good balance between modern tech and practical usability. It’s clear the Ultra 2 is designed with real-world boating and fishing in mind, offering features that are practical and easy to use on the water.

Sonar and Fishfinding Capabilities

For anglers, sonar performance can make or break a day on the water—and the ECHOMAP Ultra 2 holds its own in that department. It supports Garmin’s CHIRP traditional sonar as well as UHD (Ultra High-Definition) ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonar, giving you a detailed view of what’s below and to the sides of the boat—provided you pair it with a compatible transducer.

ClearVü offers a nearly photographic look at bottom structure, which comes in handy when identifying drop-offs, ledges, or submerged debris. SideVü is ideal for covering more ground and spotting fish-holding structure off to either side of your vessel—particularly helpful in shallow flats or when working along a shoreline.

Garmin’s CHIRP sonar adds another layer of precision by sending a sweep of frequencies instead of a single ping. The result? Better target separation and clearer returns, especially useful when fish are holding close to structure or hugging the bottom.

The Ultra 2 also supports sonar recording and playback, so you can review what you’ve covered and mark waypoints as needed. While the quality of your sonar picture will depend in part on your transducer and installation, the system itself is built to deliver strong performance right out of the box.

Navigation and Mapping

The ECHOMAP Ultra 2 comes preloaded with Garmin Navionics+™ mapping, which includes detailed coverage of both U.S. coastal and inland waterways. You’ll get standard navigation data, depth contours, hazard markers, and community-sourced updates—all built in and ready to go.

What makes Garmin’s mapping system especially useful is the variety of chart views available, each suited for different types of boating and fishing:

• Navigation Chart – This is your go-to for safe travel. It shows buoys, markers, depth soundings, and other critical information needed to pilot confidently through both busy waterways and remote backwaters.
• Fishing Chart – Strips away some of the navigational clutter and emphasizes bottom contours and depth changes. It’s ideal for anglers trying to pinpoint structure, ledges, or drop-offs where fish are likely to hold.
• Perspective 3D – Offers a forward-looking, three-dimensional view from above and behind the boat. This helps give you a more intuitive sense of the terrain ahead, especially when navigating unfamiliar waters or planning a drift along complex structure.

You can switch between these views easily, and each one is customizable depending on what you want to see on screen. If you’re someone who likes to fine-tune your display for the day’s mission—whether it’s cruising, scouting, or anchoring and casting—these mapping tools give you plenty of flexibility.

Connectivity and Smart Features

The ECHOMAP Ultra 2 isn’t just a standalone chartplotter—it’s designed to work as part of a connected system, both on and off the boat. One of the key features here is wireless networking, which lets you share data like sonar, waypoints, and routes between compatible Garmin units on the same vessel. No need to run extra cables—just power them up and they sync.

Another major asset is the ActiveCaptain® app, which connects your chartplotter to your smartphone or tablet. With it, you can update charts, plan trips from home, receive smart notifications, and even access user-generated Quickdraw Contours maps. It’s a handy way to bridge the gap between your time at the helm and your time off the water.

The Ultra 2 also plays well with other onboard systems. If you’ve got a Fusion® stereo, compatible digital switching, or a Garmin Force® trolling motor, you can control them right from the chartplotter screen. That kind of integration simplifies things—especially when you’re bouncing between tasks like scanning structure, adjusting music, or moving spot-to-spot.

And for those venturing far off the grid, the unit supports inReach® messaging when paired with a Garmin inReach device. That gives you the ability to send texts and share your location via satellite, which is a nice safety net when cellular coverage disappears.

Customization and Expandability

One of the things that makes the ECHOMAP Ultra 2 such a versatile unit is how well it adapts to different boats and different styles of boating. Whether you’re rigging a center console for offshore runs or dialing in a bass boat for freshwater structure fishing, this system offers plenty of room to grow.

You can fully customize the home screen with your most-used functions—whether that’s charts, sonar, engine data, or a combination. The split-screen functionality is especially useful, letting you view multiple sources of information at once. Want to see SideVü, depth contour, and heading all at the same time? No problem.

In terms of hardware, the Ultra 2 supports a wide range of accessories and upgrades. You can pair it with Garmin’s Panoptix™ and LiveScope™ sonar systems if you want real-time views of fish and structure, or connect it to a radar system for enhanced situational awareness in fog or at night.

It also supports NMEA 2000® networking, which opens the door for engine data displays, wind sensors, fuel flow monitoring, and more. If your boat has—or you plan to add—a digital backbone, the Ultra 2 can easily slot into that setup.

All of this means you’re not locked into a one-size-fits-all setup. You can start with the basics and build out a full suite of marine electronics over time, using the Ultra 2 as your central display.

Final Thoughts

The Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 brings together a solid mix of performance, usability, and expandability in a package that’s well-suited for both serious anglers and recreational boaters. It’s not overcomplicated, but it’s not stripped down either—offering a level of functionality that holds up whether you’re running a local lake or charting out an offshore game plan.

With its clear touchscreen display, built-in sonar support, flexible mapping options, and wireless connectivity, the Ultra 2 covers a lot of ground right out of the box. Add in its ability to grow alongside your electronics setup—whether that’s with a trolling motor, radar, or real-time sonar—and you’ve got a system that doesn’t box you in.

It’s a practical, capable unit built with the realities of boating and fishing in mind, and for many users, that’s exactly what matters most.