A few points about comparing Lowrance and Humminbird. It's pretty important to compare apples to apples when comparing prices.
The closest competitor to the Helix units from Lowrance isn't really the HDS Carbon or even the Gen3, they're a step above, the direct comparison is the Elite Ti units.
If you want to compare the HDS units, you need to compare them to the Onix or the new Solix units from Humminbird.
If you compare the Helix and Elite units, the price points and features are very similar. At that level, they will both have good 2D, DI/SI, CHIRP depending on the model, built in live auto mapping, and the ability to connect to a trolling motor.
The Lowrance advantages are the touch screen, which is HUGE in my opinion, Insight Genesis, and better 2D broadband sonar.
The Helix units with Mega imaging offer better SI and a slightly lower price.
One thing to note regarding the side imaging though, is that with both units, but the Humminbird Mega in particular, you need to be travelling at speeds of 5-8 mph in order to see images with anything close to the clarity you see in the advertisements.
They're both great units, you can't go wrong with either one. For me, the touch screen on the Lowrance is the deciding feature. It's so much easier to use and customize to your preferences. Kinda like using an IPhone vs an old Motorola flip phone lol.
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