PBIBS 2026: Raymarine introduces Axiom 2
Raymarine announced the Axiom 2 at the 2026 Palm Beach International Boat Show. The introduction of the Axiom 2 puts all three variants of the Axiom on the same underlying hardware architecture. Axiom 2 joins the Axiom 2 Pro and Axiom 2 XL as the long term future of Raymarine’s chart plotter product line. But, the announcement of the Axiom 2 also marks the end of major software updates for owners of Axiom products (Axiom, Pro, and XL) that don’t end in 2. Let’s take a look at the new hardware and what this all means for owners of very recently sold Axiom+ units.
It’s been nine years since Raymarine introduced the original Axiom and six years since the Axiom+ was introduced. Frankly, I am not sure I understood the nuance of the Axiom product line having been refreshed via a “+” model vs the Pro and XL line’s models ending in 2. As I noted at the time, the Axiom+’s main upgrades focused on displays, internal storage, and GNSS receiver. The quad-core processor used at launch in the original Axiom carried over unchanged. In contrast, the 2023 introduction of Axiom 2 Pro and Axiom 2 XL models moved from 4 to 6 core processors. I’m sure that the hardware upgrades weren’t limited to just two additional cores. With a replatforming seven years after the initial Axiom release, they surely select a much more modern architecture.
Raymarine says the upgraded hardware boots 10-percent faster and loads charts 30-percent faster. The Axiom 2 also moves to gigabit Ethernet giving it significant headroom in network communications. Like the models they replace, the Axiom 2 will be available in 7, 9, and 12-inch display sizes. Larger displays are available in both the 2 Pro and 2 XL lines.
Software updates for Axiom, Axiom+, Axiom Pro, and Axiom XL
With the introduction of the Axiom 2 and the move to an all six-core based product lineup, Raymarine also announced that future major software releases will be restricted to Axiom 2, Axiom 2 Pro, and Axiom 2 XL units. Given that it has been nine years since the original Axiom was introduced, that sounds like an entirely reasonable decision for Axioms. But, for recent purchasers of Axiom+ models — until Raymarine’s announcement less than a month ago, they were the most current product in that line — that announcement might not be welcome news.
I understand that Raymarine had a tough decision to make in light of their decision not to upgrade the Axiom+’s processor. Manufacturers always have a balance to strike between backwards compatibility and the technical difficulty of making their latest software run well on older hardware. However, as a consumer, I wouldn’t be pleased to hear that a recently purchased unit was not going to get the newest software.
I probed Raymarine quite a bit about how they would handle new hardware and likelihood of compatibility with, for example, new radar units. Though not an official statement, I got the clear indication that they intend to do everything they can to ensure that owners of older Axiom hardware have access to as much new product as possible. So, when I posed my radar question, I was told they expected they would be able to support new units.
Platform management decisions can be tough and sometimes will leave people behind. Fortunately, LightHouse 4, Raymarine’s current chart plotter operating system, is a capable and feature rich system. Owners of all Axiom models — original, plus, and 2 — all benefit from Lighthouse 4’s capabilities.
Mark me down as pretty upset that they won’t keep s/w updates going for my 2 Axiom+ MFDs. While LH 4 is good, there’s lots of UI issues.
I think it’s entirely reasonable that some new features won’t be available on older models, and updating software on lower performance models can be bad news – it just makes them go slower for the core functions that worked perfectly well when they are new. But hopefully they will continue to provide essential maintenance updates, particularly for compatibility. I upgraded from an E series to Axioms just 2 years ago because the E series had got too slow and I wanted better compatibility with my newer radar and autopilot. I’m hoping I won’t have to replace the Axioms too soon.
Steve,
Your description sounds pretty accurate. I think they will continue to supply essential updates, but not new features.
-Ben S.
Another issue is that you can’t mix the Axiom 2 running v5 along with older units like the Axiom+ running 4.x. I was considering replacing my 9″ with one of the new units, but I’d have to replace them both. Kina makes upgrades hard.
According to Raymarine support, Axiom plotters do not support PGN 127233 (Man Overboard): The industry-standard PGN used for communicating MOB status, providing information on the casualty’s position or the vessel’s location.
If one has a Navico or Yacht Device N2K MOB button to comply with offshore racing rules, Axiom does not recognize the PGN being sent.
Not a new thing 🙂 Back in ’14 we bought all-new Ray e95 plotter & digital radar – within 2 years, the plotter was rendered obsolete by the new Axiom and no new updates.
But I had the e95 installed in a NavPod, and the new Axioms were too deep to be installed in place, so we kept the old stuff going. Now the new Axiom 2 Pro would fit (with some finagleing) though I’d have to change out the e7 I put in down below. The problem was the original e95 was getting very long in the tooth – failing gaskets meant a boarding sea would render it useless, and the rotary encoder was a disaster.
But I managed to find a brand new e95 on eBay (with genuine 2009 firmware!), updated the firmware to the last version and saved several boat bucks. No, it doesn’t have all the latest features, but it works fine, I can still get current charts and I don’t have to rebuild my helm and nav station. I put the money into tripling my LiFePO4 capacity 🙂
Well this is annoying but not unexpected. No wonder the +9 was so deeply discounted! What is the implication for systems with the Axiom + who are looking to upgrade to use the RCU-1 when it’s available? Do you know if it will require an unsupported version of the Axiom to make it work?
I am confused. What feature(s) are driving the need for more processing power, thinking generically now, no matter which brand MFD we have? Did anyone undersize the processing power required for Android to start with / were MFD’s spec’d with less processing power than Android phones of their day? Is it that the operating systems and software libraries that make it easier to write software require more processing power? Something about the maps? Is AI being used for anything, maybe for routing? Most of us do not need video, audio, or routing (to be continously processed) by our MFD’s. Couldn’t they just turn off those features for less capable hardware?