Antigravity A1 Review: An 8K 360° Drone Like No Other

Antigravity is a new drone brand, incubated by Insta360, set out to shake up how we explore and capture the world from above.

The A1 drone is a genuinely exciting product to see hit the market. It features a portable size and weight, paired with the 360-degree tech seen on the pocket-sized Insta360 X4 and X5 cameras.

“Fly first, frame later.” With the built-in 360 camera, you can simply take flight and hit record, then easily adjust the composition afterwards, making it simple to follow moving subjects, film stylish pans, and create crazy camera movements.

No need to rig an Insta360 X5 onto another drone or throw the selfie-stick in the air!

I’ve loved drones since the early Phantom days and have worked my way through a select number of DJI models. Although lately, life hasn’t let me fly as much as I’d like.

The Antigravity A1 has brought the spark back, so I’m jumping in to learn life with Vision Goggles and a new controller, and trialling everything this drone can do.

This is a long article as I wanted to give you as much detail as I could, so let’s get into it.

Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone Specs

What is the Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone?

The Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone is an interesting bit of kit, especially if you’re keen to try a different style of flying.

Instead of the usual dual-stick setup, you’re tilting and steering with a grip controller while seeing everything through the head-tracking Vision Goggles.

It feels completely different from the drones I’ve flown before. If you’ve spent time with FPV or other goggle-based systems, the shift won’t be as dramatic, but the A1 still adds a twist because you can look in one direction while flying in another (i.e., 360° immersive flight), which takes a moment to get used to.

It gives the sensation of being up in the air yourself, moving freely and seeing the world from any angle.

At the heart of the A1 lies a dual-lens 1/1.28-inch sensor system capable of recording 8K 30fps, 5.2K 60fps, or 4K 100fps in full 360 degrees through dual cameras.

Insta360’s FlowState Stabilization ensures the footage remains smooth and steady, and their clever stitching technique creates the “invisible drone” effect.

You can fully reframe and edit your shots in post thanks to the full 360 capture, while the motion-sensitive Grip Controller and head-tracking Vision Goggles make the whole flight feel intuitive and immersive.

On top of that, it also comes packaged with Virtual Cockpit themes and Sky Genie and Sky Path autonomous flight modes, giving you ways to personalise the view and automate your shots.

So, whether you’re new to this style of flying or comfortable with FPV, the A1 still feels very different from a standard camera drone.

For me, it’s less about simply getting off the ground and more about settling into the unique perspective it gives you once you’re airborne.

At just 249 g with the standard battery, it retains a small profile and meets EU C0 class and other sub-250g regulations worldwide.

Ultralight and easy to carry, it’s perfect for travellers and explorers, and you can export your footage in multiple aspect ratios to suit any platform.

The standard battery offers up to 24 minutes of flight time, or you can extend it to 39 minutes with the optional high-capacity battery.

As usual, flight times will vary based on wind conditions. Batteries can be charged one at a time in the drone, or up to three simultaneously using the optional Charging Hub.

Safety is built into the design, with collision detection, obstacle avoidance, a return-to-home feature, automatic landing gear, a convenient power-pooling function, and a payload detection system that flags excess weight to prevent misuse.

Build & Ergonomics

The Antigravity A1 feels like a thoughtful reimagining of the ultra-lightweight drone format. One gripe I’ve had with other light drones is how fragile they can feel, but the A1 doesn’t give that impression.

The arms feel firmly attached yet remain light and hollow, and while the camera mount has a little play to compensate for vibrations, it doesn’t feel like it would snap off if bumped.

Gimbal cameras often look fragile, even if they’re tougher than they seem. That’s just the nature of their design, as they need to counteract vibration and allow for smooth movements while fitting into a compact size.

The A1 strikes a good balance. Its cameras don’t need physical movement to change the capture angle; they just stay stable to ensure smooth footage.

This means they can be built sturdier and more durable without sacrificing how well they move.

You’ll find the Grip Controller feels solid and ergonomic in hand, but finding all of the buttons while wearing the Vision Goggles will take some getting used to.

Remembering every button and its purpose feels like memorising for a test at school. But the most commonly used ones are all located together and remain within easy access.

The Vision Goggles are bulky and solid, but rather comfortable to wear. Although the weight may get to some, while you’re flying you tend to forget you even have them on.

The padding and spacers can be removed should you prefer them without, and the battery pack comes with a thick neck strap.

Overall, it works well together; however, if you’re used to simpler, lighter setups, it may take some getting used to. Especially with how closed off to everything you quickly become while wearing the Vision Goggles.

Antigravity Vision Goggles

The Antigravity Vision Goggles are what connect all three pieces of the Antigravity A1 set together. The goggles feature the menu and navigation systems, they’re what you connect to through the app; basically, they’re the control centre.

They’re bulky and have a bit of weight to them, but don’t feature an internal battery. The head strap is adjustable and the elastic nature of it means it’s comfortable to wear.

Power comes from a small external battery pack that comes with a long and thick neck strap and a cable that securely clips in place.

Equipped with industry-leading adjustable Pancake optics and dual 1-inch Micro-OLED (2560×2560) displays, the goggles mirror the pilot’s head movements in real-time.

Together, these three elements combine to create a seamless interface that allows users to have a truly immersive experience of the sensation of flight, rather than simply piloting a drone.

The optics can be adjusted independently for distance and focus, allowing fine-tuning for each user.

On the front of the Vision Goggles is a decent resolution circular screen that displays what the drone is looking at directly in front, along with status indicators for updates.

While the drone is disconnected, it runs through a logo animation cycle.

Interestingly, the Vision Goggles also feature an outward-facing camera. With the tap of a button, you can activate a see-through mode that lets you view your surroundings in real time.

This makes it easy to safely land the A1 using line-of-sight, or quickly check for nearby hazards without needing to put down the controller in order to remove the goggles.

There’s also a Micro SD port so you can screen record everything that you view, including the rotation of your head and the full user interface and menu system.

It’ll track all of the motion data for you, ready to import into the Antigravity Studio software.

Screen recording must be enabled manually in the menu, not by any physical buttons (as far as I am aware). Recordings can then be accessed through either the USB-C port, or by removing the Micro SD card.

You can also remove the thick padding and internal spacer, should they not fit your face comfortably.

Antigravity Grip Controller

The Grip Controller is the only way to fly the Antigravity A1, and it’s been designed to feel intuitive from the start.

It cannot be flown via an app or a traditional dual-stick controller. It has been ergonomically designed, with all buttons and dials designed for single-handed use.

Since you can’t see the controller while using the Vision Goggles, each button and dial has a unique shape, size, and texture, making it easy to find the control you need without looking.

There are plenty of buttons, though, so remembering what each one does may require a study session.

The A1 offers multiple flight control options, with the most intuitive being FreeMotion Mode. This translates your hand movements into precise flight paths, letting you steer simply by pointing the controller (i.e., “point-to-fly”).

This makes flying the A1 relatively simple and intuitive, since the learning curve of using dual sticks is removed.

It reminds me of the days as a kid playing Flight Simulator on the computer with a joy stick, dipping and tilting it to fly in different directions.

However, should you prefer or desire, FPV Mode is still available for users who want full manual control.

In saying all that, though, coming from years of flying with dual sticks, there was a noticeable learning curve at first. It took some time to judge how much to dip, twist, or turn the controller to get the exact movement I wanted.

Antigravity Sling Bag

The Sling Bag included with the Explorer and Infinity Bundles is surprisingly spacious and practical.

It’s designed with plenty of space inside, so repacking all your gear out in the field isn’t a struggle. Empty, it’s relatively light and easy to carry, and it stays upright, too.

Inside, it has two zipper pockets found in the lid for loose accessories like spare propellers, Goggle lenses, cables, and card reader (Quick Reader from Infinity Bundle).

The A1 Carry Case fits neatly into the larger pouch, with the Vision Goggles and battery in the next section.

The Charger Hub, including two batteries, goes in the middle, and there’s room for a spare on top if needed.

The Grip Controller and any other accessories fit in the last compartment, while the included booklets slide into a discrete slot under the grab handle on the back.

The adjustable shoulder strap is padded for comfort, making it easy to carry everything securely.

Physically, it’s a larger bag than you get with a DJI Mini Pro Fly More kit, but that’s because overall the Antigravity A1 equipment as a whole is bulkier.

Flight Time & Performance

Despite its lightweight build, the Antigravity A1 packs in a broad set of capabilities.

The drone itself stays extremely portable regardless of which battery is used, although the low mass does mean wind has a greater impact on stability and battery life versus a larger and more powerful drone.

With the standard battery, it sits at 249 g and aligns with EU C0 and other sub-250 g rules, delivering up to 24 minutes in the air.

Fit the High-Capacity Battery, and flight time can stretch to roughly 39 minutes, shifting the classification to EU C1. But, as always, conditions like wind and weather will influence real-world flight times.

Safety-wise, it comes with an array of features to help keep the drone safe while in use. It’s equipped with a combination of forward and downward binocular vision, backed by a bottom-mounted 3D infrared sensor, and it supports intelligent obstacle awareness.

These sensors form the backbone of the A1’s safety systems, covering collision detection, obstacle avoidance, return to home, automatic landing gear, power pooling, and payload monitoring that flags excess weight before it becomes a problem.

Out in the real world, they prove their worth quickly. The on-screen display lights up yellow and red around the edges, clearly showing potential hazards in real time. Yellow is to draw awareness; red is when it’s getting too close for comfort.

It feels similar to how video games warn you when something is closing in from off-screen, which makes it intuitive to understand at a glance.

On one flight, while flying through a decent gap between trees, a few birds suddenly swooped in. The A1 triggered an emergency stop just before a near miss with a particularly determined pigeon.

In short, they work, and they work well.

Software & App

Antigravity offers free software for mobile and desktop to view, edit, and export your drone footage. Both apps let you access your footage, make or automate edits, and export in any ratio or format you need.

Example footage is shown in the next category within this article.

The desktop version, Antigravity Studio, runs on Windows and MacOS and offers professional-grade tools for reframing and video production.

Key features include full playback and multi-view editing, letting you quickly relive your flight exactly as seen through the Vision Goggles, including head-tracking data.

The Smart Track feature automatically frames your best moments, while additional tools convert head movements into editable keyframes, auto-mark timeline segments, and apply denoise filters.

Once edited, your footage can be exported in whatever format you prefer and used in your favourite video editors like Final Cut, Premiere, or After Effects.

The Antigravity Companion App is your starting point for connecting and registering your drone, but also provides a way to view your footage on your drone or by using a Micro SD card reader.

For help and information on the go, there’s a wide selection of tutorials available within the app, along with battery levels, drone tracker, local restrictions, flight statistics, and your Antigravity profile.

When it comes to editing footage, it mirrors many of the features found in Antigravity Studio and also offers additional creative templates for quick, on-the-go editing (see next category for examples).

When you’re ready to fly, the Vision Goggles are your feature-packed in-flight user interface, controlled using the Grip Controller through tilting and clicking of the trigger.

In here, you’ll find everything you need to manage and control your A1 drone both before you take off and while you’re in the air.

Within the software, Antigravity has provided some automation tools to help you get the most out of your A1.

• Sky Path is a system that lets you take control of your flight planning by designing and automating routes. Once set, the A1 will fly itself along the path, freeing you from the controller and letting the drone fly on its own. It’s especially fun to share with others, just hand over the Vision Goggles to somebody else (even a pre-schooler) and watch their delight as they take in the 360-degree view from above.
• Sky Genie enables single-tap cinematic 360 manoeuvres like Orbit, Spiral, and Comet.
• Deep Track uses Insta360’s tracking tech to keep subjects in frame.
• The Virtual Cockpit adds an immersive overlay. Currently, it lets you fly alongside a dragon, but apparently, there are more skins coming soon. Combined with Sky Path, it would make a pretty fun experience for others.

Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone Sample Footage

Being the silly season right now, I haven’t had much opportunity to get out and fly a lot, nor sit down and heavily edit.

However, there are plenty of very experienced content creators on YouTube and other social media showing some stunning clips already.

So instead, I’ll show you what can be done in a really brief amount of time, with minimal editing experience in the Antigravity iOS app, and with minimal taps of the screen (iPhone 16 Pro Max).

Photography-wise, you can take still pictures and edit them in the same way as videos. Standard adjustments such as Exposure, Shadows, Saturation, etc, are possible, and further creative possibilities such as visual distortion effects and graphics can be applied.

You can even animate still images, for example, warping them from a standard landscape image into a Tiny Planet.

For the following videos, I removed the MicroSD card from the A1 shortly after flying and inserted it into the Quick Reader via the USB-C port on my phone.

This first clip was created using the Project Timeline mode. I clipped the length of video that I wanted to use, then applied three different “360 Reframe” effects.

I chose Me First (Tiny Planet), followed by Unfold (In Animation) and brought it back to a normal landscape orientation with Drag Up (Classic). I applied one of the many colour filters to it prior to export.

It was exported at 1440p, 30fps, and with a bitrate of 25mbps prior to being uploaded to YouTube.

This next clip was created from a 2-minute-long session of flying around, randomly recording everything I could see.

Using the Card Reader, I loaded up the app and tapped Edit. The first screen provides you with a number of quick templates, but following the other tabs, you’ll find a wide range of other templates on offer.

I opted for the Mirror Sky template for something interesting for a first try.

The preset automatically chose a section of the footage itself, then applied the effects and music.

I didn’t change the timeline selection of the clip, nor the camera viewing angle, but that is something you can still do when using any preset templates.

It was exported at 1440p, 30fps, and with a bitrate of 25mbps, and has a colour filter applied across the regular footage at the beginning.

Alternatives to the Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone

Describing an alternative to the Antigravity A1 is very much like comparing apples and oranges. But, nonetheless, I believe the closest alternative would be DJI’s Mini Pro line.

While they don’t offer 8K 360 capture or include Vision Goggles, they do share a similar sub-249 g weight with the standard battery, along with a strong set of safety features and an intuitive interface that makes them easy to fly.

The DJI Mini Pro differs in its more traditional approach. It uses a conventional 4K gimbal camera and a dual stick controller, with standard kits shipping with the RC-N3 controller that pairs with your phone for live viewing.

There’s also the option to upgrade to a controller with a high-quality built-in screen.

If you’re inclined for a FPV experience, the DJI Goggles 3 can be purchased separately. Accessories like extra batteries, a charging hub, and a sling bag are bundled into Fly More kits, much like Antigravity’s bundles.

Image quality is excellent for such a compact drone, and I can say that confidently as I own a Mini 3 Pro myself. Since then, DJI has released two newer versions that refine the already great formula.

Still, while the size and safety tech are comparable, the A1 feels like it is playing a different game entirely, thanks to its 360-degree view and Vision Goggles. Apples and oranges, really.

Value for Money

The Antigravity A1 is available in three bundles, each offering different extras.

The Standard Bundle comes with the A1 Drone, Vision Goggles, Grip Motion Controller, a single Standard Battery, one set of Spare Propellers, and the A1 Carry Case.

• Standard Bundle: ~US$1,600 (~AU$2,200)
• Explorer Bundle (+2x batteries + A1 Charging Hub + 2x Spare Propellers + Sling Bag): ~US$1,900 (~AU$2,800)
• Infinity Bundle (incl. 3x high-capacity batteries + A1 Charging Hub + 2x Spare Propellers + Sling Bag + Quick Reader): ~US$2,000 (~AU$2,900)

Antigravity Care can be purchased ahead of time, but must be secured no later than 48 hours after registering your drone. There are two options available: a 1-year or a 2-year package, both covering accidents like drops, collisions, water damage, fly-aways, and more.

Each year, you can claim up to two replacements for your A1 through their dedicated support team, with shipping included at no extra cost.

When you consider the cost of an Insta360 X5 bundle, FPV goggles, and a DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More package, the Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone quickly stands out as offering strong value.

Beyond the gear alone, it offers automated flight and manoeuvring options, along with the unique “fly now, reframe later” advantage that comes with a 360-degree camera.

All of this comes packed into a single, ready-to-fly bundle, making it a very practical choice for anyone wanting high-end FPV and 360-degree aerial footage without having to make multiple purchases or equip a variety of accessories.

Antigravity A1 Drone FAQs

So, what if I break something or lose the drone?

Depending on the type and extent of damage, the A1 is designed with user-replaceable lenses and propellers, making repairs simple and cutting down on shipping or unnecessary material waste. Additional spares can be purchased when needed, and some are already included in the different bundles.

For more serious issues, or just for extra peace of mind, Antigravity Care offers affordable replacement and flyaway protection. However, Antigravity Care needs to be purchased within 48 hours of registering your drone.

What do you mean by “Fly now, reframe later”?

The “capture now, reframe later” concept comes from 360-degree cameras, which capture everything around the device instead of just what’s in front. This tech was originally made accessible by the Insta360 cameras that people have been attaching to cars or taking on holidays, capturing everything around them as they move.

With a 360-degree camera, you can pick the perfect angle in post-production – panning, tilting, or rotating the view as if you were filming live. It opens up heaps of creative possibilities, from tiny planet effects and Inception-style twists to multi-camera looks from a single shot. This removes the stress of framing while flying, letting you focus on smooth, dynamic flight while staying in full creative control.

Which Antigravity A1 Bundle is right for me?

Outside of affordability, it will also come down to a few considerations.

Firstly, if you’re a very-rare or low-key flyer, the Standard Bundle may suffice. It gives you around 10-20 minutes of flight time per full charge (depending on wind and weather conditions), so it’s good enough for a quick buzz in the sky to grab some fun footage, a quick clip at a destination, or for extra aerial footage to accompany another camera.

The Explorer Bundle would be more for the dedicated enthusiast or content creator, as it gives you additional batteries and a charging hub, helping you to expand a flight session throughout a day, or over a few days, depending on how much you’re in the air each day. The additional included Sling Bag makes transporting everything comfortable and convenient.

The Infinity Bundle would be one I’d consider if I was a heavier duty content creator or to support regular paid gigs, providing heaps of airtime to spread across rather expansive adventures or sessions. You’d possibly run out of memory before battery!

Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone Review | Conclusion

In short, the Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone is one hell of a kit, and it definitely has a huge wow factor.

Everyone I’ve handed the Vision Goggles to has been blown away by the experience. It gives you a view and experience up in the sky that many would never have.

While having it all packed away in the sling bag makes transporting it much easier, the Vision Goggles add some bulk, but the smaller Grip Controller helps balance that out.

Getting it in the air is easy, and the Grip Controller keeps manoeuvring simple. After a few minutes of figuring out how much to dip and turn, anyone can get the hang of it, even a 4-year-old.

Or, use Sky Path: just hand over the Vision Goggles and let someone enjoy the flight without touching the controller at all.

For the more advanced flyers and creators, every feature should be easy to access and use, so you can get the most out of the gear without wrestling with the controls.

The idea is to let you stay fully focused on what you’re trying to capture, not distracted by complicated menus or convoluted setups.

It’s quick to unpack and get up in the air, while “Fly now, reframe later” can take the guesswork out of composition.

You may still need a bit of planning to nail your shot, but even just unplanned, casual, flying for fun can yield impressive footage.

For those more committed, it’ll really blow your mind what you can get with proper planning. What would normally take multiple fly-bys or multiple cameras can at times be done in just a single shot on the A1.