The Antigravity A1 is among the most uncommon client drones I’ve examined lately. Not as a result of it shoots 8K 360° video, and never as a result of it’s below 250g, however as a result of it affords real-time 360° viewing contained in the FPV goggles. This basically modifications the flying expertise and unlocks inventive prospects that merely don’t exist on standard drones. On this evaluate, I’ll stroll you thru the complete expertise: design, flight efficiency, options, picture high quality, and my trustworthy professionals and cons.
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The place to Purchase
You will get the Antigravity A1 from:
The Antigravity A1 is offered in bundles along with the controller and goggles. There are three bundles out there, every providing completely different equipment and battery configurations. I’m reviewing the Infinity Bundle, which incorporates:
- Antigravity A1 drone
- FPV goggles
- Movement controller
- Exhausting carry case
- Charging hub
- 3× high-capacity flight batteries
- 3 spare propellers
- Screwdriver
- Lens caps
- Goggles battery and cable
- SD card reader
- Manuals
All the things suits neatly contained in the included sling bag, which feels strong and well-designed. It’s an entire ecosystem—similar to DJI’s Fly Extra Combos.
A1 Drone
Placing a 360 digicam on a drone is nothing new, however the Antigravity A1 is the primary drone to combine a local 360° digicam system straight into the plane. Its type issue carefully resembles the DJI Mini collection, providing:
- Extremely-light weight below 250g
- A compact physique with foldable arms
- GPS and impediment avoidance
- Lengthy flight time
Design
The Antigravity A1 makes use of foldable 6-inch propellers, and the arms collapse as effectively—making the drone extraordinarily compact for transport. This design method is just like the DJI Mini Sequence.
The drone options 4 cameras:
- Two fisheye lenses (high and backside) for the 360° seize
- Two forward-facing cameras for impediment avoidance
These cameras are soft-mounted to assist scale back vibration. Certainly one of my first considerations was unintended scratches—particularly on the underside lens—however Antigravity lets you change the lenses your self. That’s a sensible transfer for a 360° drone the place lens harm is an actual threat.
As a result of the underside lens is uncovered, the drone deploys mechanical touchdown guards each time it powers up or lands. It’s a small element, however it demonstrates considerate engineering.
There are impediment avoidance sensors and touchdown mild on the underside.
On the again, there’s a slot for a microSD card and a USB-C connector that are simple to entry.
Full 360° Viewing in Actual Time
FPV pilots have been utilizing 360° cameras on drones, however you continue to needed to fly utilizing a single forward-facing digicam. The A1 modifications this solely: you fly by means of a stay 360° view contained in the goggles.
Right here’s the way it works:
- The drone makes use of two 180° fisheye cameras (high and backside).
- The system stitches them right into a seamless 360° sphere.
- The drone’s physique is routinely erased, so that you by no means see it within the goggles.
The actual breakthrough is that the goggles assist real-time head-tracking, just like VR. You’ll be able to lookup, down, left, proper—anyplace—whereas the drone stays utterly stationary. As somebody who has flown FPV for greater than a decade, that is genuinely mind-bending the primary time you expertise it.
Weight and Battery Choices
The battery slides in identical to in a DJI Mini, which additionally has a built-in indicator. The flight pack clicks firmly into place simply and securely.
The A1 is designed to hit 249g with its customary flight battery—just below the 250g registration threshold in lots of international locations.
Additionally they supply excessive capability battery which permits for longer flight time. Nevertheless the load would exceed 250g.
These battery choices may look equivalent on the skin, however very completely different in weight and capability.
Normal Flight Battery
- 7.16 V, 2360mAh
- 66.9g
- Retains the drone below 250g (takeoff weight: 249g)
Excessive-Capability Battery
- 7.16 V, 4345mAh
- 107.8g
- Considerably longer flight time
- Will increase takeoff weight to 290g
The Normal and Explorer bundles embrace the lighter customary batteries. The Infinity bundle consists of solely the Excessive-Capability variations, and at present it seems that solely Excessive-Capability batteries can be found for buy individually. If staying below 250g is essential to you, take note of which batteries are included.
Not Made for Crashing
Just about like several digicam drones, it’s not a basher like your typical FPV drone. You’ll be able to fly aggressively, however one arduous crash will most likely break it. The truth that it has two very uncovered 360 cameras makes it much more so. Good factor it’s potential to interchange the lenses in the event that they get scratched.
Essentially the most fragile might be the propellers, they’re mild weight and stiff, but additionally very skinny so doesn’t really feel very crash resilient. The drone comes with a spare set, and they are often changed simply with the included screwdriver. Apart from the digicam lens and props, another damages you may need to ship the drone again to Antigravity for restore.
Imaginative and prescient Goggles
The Antigravity Imaginative and prescient Goggles are, for my part, one of many largest causes the A1 feels so groundbreaking. The power to see and discover a full 360° setting in actual time basically modifications the flying expertise.
Design
The goggles have an unconventional, nearly futuristic look—a lot in order that I used to be getting a good quantity of curious stares from individuals strolling by throughout testing (or I used to be simply being self-conscious 🙂 ). One of many two circles on the entrance is definitely a show meant for spectators, letting them see what the pilot sees.
Just a few design notes:
- The 2 foldable antennas are non-removable.
- You’ll be able to report the goggles’ display screen (just like DVR recording)—however not a 360 feed, only a flat video of what you see contained in the goggles. Solely the drone information 360 movies.
- Recordings may be saved to a microSD card or the built-in 30GB storage (greater than sufficient for a dozens of flights).
The entrance show is an fascinating concept, however in follow it’s not as helpful because it sounds. Since you naturally go searching whereas flying the A1, spectators can’t actually see the tiny show which makes it just a little doubtful. I might a lot moderately have a video output possibility (HDMI or USB-C) for exterior screens or a smartphone.
Viewing Expertise
The goggles use a 2560×2560 OLED show operating at 72Hz. The sphere of view is extraordinarily giant—arguably even bigger than DJI’s Goggles V1/V2—making the expertise extremely immersive.
Nevertheless, with such a big FOV, the perimeters and corners seem barely blurry. The middle stays completely sharp although, and all essential OSD info is positioned clearly and stays readable, so it’s not an actual problem. There’s at present no possibility to cut back the display screen measurement.
IPD and diopter changes can be found by way of two rotating knobs beneath the goggles:
- IPD vary: 59–72 mm (I can verify that is correct as claimed)
- Diopter adjustment: –5 to +2
- Elective snap-in corrective lenses for stronger myopia (–500° to –800°)
One disadvantage is that you just can’t lock the IPD or diopter changes, so it’s potential to mess up the changes when dealing with the goggles.
Person Expertise
Not like different FPV goggles, there are not any bodily menu buttons on the Imaginative and prescient Goggles. All menu operations are finished by means of the movement controller utilizing an on-screen cursor—similar to VR headsets.
It really works, however generally it feels slower and extra cumbersome than utilizing devoted {hardware} buttons when all you need is to vary a setting shortly.
A front-facing digicam offers a see-through view if you double-press the left button on the goggles. The picture is black and white, however it’s clear and low latency. Personally I don’t discover it notably helpful, it’s simply simpler to take off the goggles.
Consolation
The goggles include detachable spacer bracket – you possibly can select to maintain or take away it primarily based in your face form. The froth padding supplies are top quality, and at solely round 340g, the goggles are moderately light-weight and comfy to put on. I wore them for as much as two hours straight throughout testing with out feeling any discomfort.
Energy
The Imaginative and prescient Goggles are powered by an exterior battery pack that’s imagined to be hung round your neck. The one problem is the ability cable—it’s too brief if you wish to preserve the battery in your pocket as an alternative. Everytime you need to take the goggles off, you need to take away the battery pack out of your neck too, barely inconvenient.
An infrared sensor between the lenses routinely turns off the show if you take away the goggles, serving to to protect battery life (may be disabled).
Grip Movement Controller
The A1 ships with a movement controller—conceptually just like DJI’s RC Movement controllers. It’s designed to be beginner-friendly, counting on pointing gestures moderately than conventional stick inputs.
Format and Controls
The controller has 11 management inputs in complete:
- On the entrance, there’s a yaw wheel (for exact rotation), emergency brake button, takeoff/touchdown button, video report button, and picture shutter button.
- On the left facet, there’s a 3-position mode selector, two customizable buttons (C1 and C2)
- On the suitable facet, there are energy button and settings button.
- On the again, there may be the ahead set off (fuel pedal).
Flying with it’s easy: level the place you need the drone to go, pull the set off, and the A1 strikes in that course. The training curve is minimal, making it accessible even for full rookies.
Limitations for FPV Pilots
When you come from FPV drones, this controller will really feel restrictive. There is no such thing as a stick controller possibility, and subsequently no acro mode. Acro mode is what permits freestyle FPV pilots to carry out easy, quick, and exact maneuvers—one thing the A1 merely can’t do with this controller.
Whereas the movement controller is simple to make use of, the heavy reliance on stabilization algorithms means flight paths can really feel extra robotic and fewer pure than what you possibly can obtain with guide stick management.
I additionally want the controller included a small joystick for wonderful place changes, particularly for sluggish cinematic photographs or exact landings. Because it stands, you possibly can solely fly ahead utilizing the set off.
Ergonomics
The controller is clearly designed for right-handed use. Positive, you need to use it along with your left hand if you happen to really need, however reaching some buttons turns into awkward. For a tool meant for everybody, a extra ambidextrous design would have been appreciated.
Person Expertise
Listed here are some footage samples, flight mode and have demo:
Preparation – Activation, Registration, and Updates
Proper out of the field, it’s essential to activate all parts—the drone, batteries, goggles, and controller. That is finished just by charging every gadget by way of USB-C for the primary time.
Subsequent, the Antigravity A1 requires registration by means of the Antigravity cellular app (iOS or Android). You’ll want to attach by way of Wi-Fi and create an account utilizing both an e mail deal with or telephone quantity. The method is just like DJI’s activation steps. Personally, I’m not a fan of necessary account registration for {hardware} I’ve already bought, but when privateness considerations you, think about using a dummy e mail.
There was a firmware replace after I was organising the drone, the file was surprisingly giant, taking noticeably longer than anticipated to obtain and set up (over half an hour). Hopefully retail models will ship with the most recent firmware preloaded so new customers don’t have to attend as lengthy.
Tutorial and Settings
As soon as every little thing was arrange, the goggles introduced a brief interactive tutorial explaining the controller buttons, fundamental drone management, and the which means of the varied on-screen indicators. It’s a pleasant onboarding contact, particularly contemplating how feature-dense this drone is.
And that’s value emphasizing: the Antigravity A1 is completely full of options. The menus are dense, the settings record is lengthy, and the movement controller has many buttons. It might be overwhelming for somebody utterly new to drones.
Nevertheless, for pilots with earlier expertise—whether or not DJI or FPV—the A1 is pretty intuitive. To check usability, I deliberately flew the drone for the primary time with out studying the guide, and whereas not as immediately easy as a DJI drone, I had no actual issue getting it into the air and navigating the fundamentals.
Menu navigation is very fascinating: it really works precisely like a VR headset. You progress a cursor across the interface utilizing the movement controller, just like the Meta Quest or different VR goggles.
Flight Modes
The Antigravity A1 affords two major flight modes, every delivering a really completely different expertise.
FreeMotion Mode
Not like conventional drones, the course you’re wanting will not be the course the A1 flies. As a substitute, the drone travels wherever you level the controller, no matter the place your head or eyes are pointed.
You’ll be able to lookup, examine behind you, or scan the setting with out affecting your flight path. When your head is turned away from the course of journey, a small floating “mini display screen” seems within the goggles exhibiting the place the controller is at present pointing which is useful.
To steer, you bodily rotate your physique to level the controller towards your required course. Flying turns into a full-body exercise—half VR, half piloting.
FreeMotion Mode is intuitive for rookies however has downsides:
- Your physique actions can look a bit comical to bystanders (identical to watching somebody use VR goggles).
- It really works greatest on flat, open floor, it’s awkward in tight areas or inside automobiles the place you possibly can’t freely flip your physique.
FPV Mode
FPV Mode transforms the controller into extra of a joystick. As a substitute of pointing along with your arm, you merely tilt the controller to steer. Your physique stays stationary, and also you keep away from unintentionally handing over circle round whereas flying.
For me, FPV Mode is the extra pure and satisfying expertise—particularly coming from FPV drones. It’s just like the DJI Avata 2 movement controller, however with one key distinction: the A1 all the time retains the horizon stage, no matter your turns or banking.
A few drawbacks:
- Each time you are taking off, the drone defaults again to FreeMotion Mode—it’s essential to manually swap to FPV Mode, EVERY TIME!
- When you set off Return to Dwelling, it’s essential to swap again to FreeMotion Mode first.
Not deal-breakers, however will get annoying over time.
Velocity Ranges
The A1 additionally consists of three “pace modes,” just like DJI drones:
- C Mode (Cine): Slowest and smoothest—ultimate for cinematic strikes.
- N Mode (Regular): The default pace. Ascent fee is 3 m/s (may be elevated to five m/s).
- S Mode (Sport): Quickest mode. I reached roughly 50 km/h (30 mph) in my testing.
Once more, identical to the flight modes, the A1 all the time defaults to N mode after takeoff (even when C or S mode chosen), so it’s essential to manually swap again to N mode, then choose C or S mode once more each time. One other small irritation that might be improved with a future firmware replace hopefully.
Flight Efficiency
Flying the A1 feels a bit like having a digicam on a gimbal with head-tracking—you possibly can freely go searching in any course whereas the drone continues cruising ahead. Barely off subject, however this FPV system would make an unbelievable head-tracking resolution for RC planes as a mechanical gimbal various.
I examined the A1 in 20mph wind, and it carried out surprisingly effectively for such a light-weight drone. That mentioned, sturdy wind does noticeably restrict its high pace and stability. Picture high quality additionally appears much less crisp in sturdy wind most likely as a result of heavier digital stabilization. It’s not a very highly effective plane, and I used to be getting fixed “sturdy wind” warnings within the goggles. Realistically, 20-25mph wind is the higher restrict of what I’d comfortably fly in; past that, it’s too dangerous.
The A1 can be very quiet—at round 150–200 meters away, you possibly can barely hear it.
The emergency brake button works superbly. Faucet it, and the drone immediately stops and holds its place. Maintain brake button for a number of seconds, and it triggers Return-to-Dwelling, flying again to its takeoff level routinely. These options behave equally to these on the DJI Avata 2 and are equally dependable on the A1.
There’s additionally a “digital cockpit” mode that overlays a 3D dragon beneath you, making it appear to be you’re driving it. It’s hilarious and utterly pointless—I preserve it off so it doesn’t block my view. However it’s nice enjoyable to point out youngsters or pals.
Vary
The Antigravity A1 makes use of a proprietary OmniLink 360 transmission system that operates on 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz bands.
In my testing, I comfortably reached 2km with a clear video feed. I doubtless might have gone farther if the wind wasn’t so sturdy. However when flying by means of timber or round obstacles, the sign breaks up ahead of what I usually see on DJI O4. Anticipate body drops, blurring, and compression artifacts as quickly because the sign begins to weaken.
One factor I miss is a numerical hyperlink high quality indicator (like bitrate on DJI or Walksnail). The A1 solely reveals 4 sign bars, and so they don’t replace very incessantly. Generally you get body drops and blur earlier than the bars even change. This may catch you off guard, particularly at longer vary or flying by means of timber.
One other behavior I needed to study: keep away from transferring your head an excessive amount of on long-range flights. It’s tempting to go searching—in any case, that’s the entire level of a 360-view drone—however transferring your head turns the goggles’ antennas away from the drone, which may scale back sign energy. Holding the antennas pointed towards the plane is essential for maximizing vary and stability.
Latency
Latency is one other consideration, round 120 ms which is fairly excessive by FPV requirements. You gained’t actually discover it throughout regular cruising, however if you wave your hand and watch within the goggles, the delay may be very apparent—noticeably increased than DJI O4 or Walksnail. Fortuitously, the A1 isn’t designed for high-speed proximity flying or acro-style maneuvers anyway, so this isn’t a deal breaker. For sluggish, cinematic cruising, the latency is suitable.
Picture High quality
Video Decision Choices
- 8K (7680 × 3840) at 30/25/24 fps
- 5.2K (5248 × 2624) at 60/50 fps
- 4K (3840 × 1920) at 100 fps
There’s no LOG profile, which limits coloration grading flexibility, however you possibly can regulate saturation, distinction, and sharpness for a extra impartial profile. Dynamic vary is surprisingly good—higher than I anticipated from a 360 digicam.
Low-Mild Efficiency
Low-light efficiency is respectable for a 360 digicam, however nonetheless constrained by small sensors. In darker situations, the A1 should decrease shutter pace and/or elevate ISO, which ends up in a softer, noisier picture in comparison with drones with bigger sensors. That mentioned, it stays usable for informal flying.
No ND Filter
There are at present no bodily ND filters out there for the A1. Nevertheless, Antigravity features a “Movement ND” characteristic in its modifying software program—an AI-based motion-blur algorithm. It mimics the look of longer shutter speeds fairly successfully and helps compensate for the dearth of actual ND filters.
Goggles Picture High quality
The stay feed you see within the goggles is roughly akin to Walksnail Avatar, however undoubtedly beneath DJI O4 in sharpness and readability. Nonetheless, the expertise stays extremely immersive because of the goggles’ large FOV. It genuinely looks like sitting within the entrance row of an IMAX theater—besides you possibly can flip your head to go searching the whole world in actual time.
Nevertheless, there are moments when head motion or sudden directional modifications trigger the picture to turn into jerky, blurry, or briefly stutter, which breaks the sense of immersion. This may increasingly enhance with future firmware updates, however for now, it’s a noticeable quirk.
Audio
The drone itself doesn’t report audio, however the goggles’ DVR does. It information your voice and your surrounding which may be helpful for narration or logging observations.
“8K” is Not Truly 8K
This “8K 360 digicam” may not look pretty much as good as your 4K digicam, right here’s why.
360 cameras have two sensors, every protecting 180°, and they’re stitched collectively to make a full 360° sphere.
So once they declare it’s “8K”, it’s combining the decision of each sensors, not what you get in anybody course. You’re successfully getting one thing like 4K per lens at most, then the digicam merges them right into a single 360° video.
Moreover, in a 360 digicam, the identical sensor space has to cowl a a lot wider 180° discipline of view, whereas typical motion cameras solely should cowl 120° or much less. Once you zoom in to get the identical regular digicam view, the efficient decision is subsequently lower than 4K, perhaps nearer to 2.7K and even 1080k in some instances, that’s why they give the impression of being softer and decrease high quality.
Because of this, When you’re shopping for the Antigravity A1 anticipating it to interchange a Mini 5 Professional or a Mavic 3 for straight-up picture high quality, you’re most likely going to be upset. This isn’t what a 360 digicam drone designed for, it’s the immersive flight expertise and distinctive options 360 digicam affords that make them standout and interesting.
Flight Time
Hover Time
In my testing:
- Normal battery: ~18 minutes hover time
- Excessive-Capability battery: ~half-hour hover time
These outcomes are noticeably decrease than the marketed 22 minutes and 35 minutes, however that is very typical—producers often check below ultimate, zero-wind situations. Even so, 18 minutes on a sub-250g drone is spectacular.
Actual-World Flight Time
Precise flight time varies relying on wind and how briskly you fly. Right here’s what I persistently achieved:
- Normal battery: 15–17 minutes
- Excessive-Capability battery: 25–28 minutes
Controller & Goggles Battery Life
- Movement Controller: ~5 hours per cost
- Imaginative and prescient Goggles: simply over 2 hours
Each are greater than sufficient to cowl 4 full flights with no need to recharge.
Battery Charging
The A1 drone battery may be charged both contained in the drone or through the use of the Charging Hub.
The Charging Hub holds three batteries and fees them one after the other, not concurrently—identical to DJI’s hubs.
It additionally consists of two very helpful options:
- Energy pooling: Transfers leftover power from decrease batteries into the fullest one.
- Energy financial institution mode: Means that you can use the hub to cost your goggles, controller, and even your smartphone by way of USB-C.
Impediment Detection
The A1 options front-facing and downward-facing impediment sensors. When the drone detects an impediment, you’ll see a visible warning contained in the goggles (yellow and purple lights). Within the settings, you possibly can select whether or not the drone ought to routinely brake or just warn you with out stopping.
When you plan to fly by means of a dense forest or tight areas, it’s possible you’ll need to disable computerized braking; in any other case, the A1 will halt the second it detects an impediment and refuse to maneuver ahead.
Just a few essential limitations:
- Impediment detection solely works in C (Cine) and N (Regular) modes.
- It’s disabled in S (Sport) mode.
- The A1 has no facet, rear, or upward sensors, so these instructions stay unprotected. Perhaps that’s why they solely permit customers to fly ahead.
General, impediment detection works effectively—even selecting up skinny branches and wires—however you shouldn’t depend on it solely. Since protection is restricted to the entrance and backside, flying by means of tight gaps nonetheless requires cautious piloting, sluggish actions, and good use of the 360° view.
Superior Options: Waypoints, Automated Actions & Monitoring
The A1 consists of a number of highly effective automated flight capabilities that leverage its 360° digicam capabilities:
Sky Path (Waypoints)
Create a flight path by inserting waypoints on a map. The drone then performs the route autonomously. That is ultimate for repeating the identical flight path a number of instances or letting another person benefit from the immersive view by merely handing them the goggles.
Sky Genie (Automated Actions)
A group of pre-programmed cinematic strikes—comparable to orbit, rotation, spiral climb, and extra. These modes are excellent for fast TikTok/Instagram photographs with out requiring superior piloting expertise.
Deep Monitor (Object Monitoring)
Routinely observe a transferring topic comparable to an individual, automotive, or bike. With the 360° digicam, you possibly can reframe the shot in post-production, making the monitoring outcomes much more versatile.
These superior options carry out greatest in open areas with out obstructions. Use warning round timber, buildings, or individuals, since impediment detection is restricted to the entrance and backside.
Modifying Footage
Images and movies are saved in Antigravity’s proprietary codecs:
- .insv for movies
- .insp for images
You’ll be able to edit them utilizing Antigravity Studio, a free modifying utility just like Insta360 Studio however optimized particularly for the A1 drone.
The software program lets you:
- Play again 360° footage
- Crop and reframe photographs
- Apply filters and enhancements
- Carry out object monitoring
- Export movies in full 360° format or as conventional flat clips along with your chosen discipline of view
It’s a reasonably intuitive workflow, particularly if you happen to’ve used Insta360’s ecosystem earlier than.
Ultimate Ideas: Who Is the A1 For?
I don’t assume the Antigravity A1 will change FPV drones or high-end digicam drones anytime quickly, however it does introduce a completely new class of flying expertise.
When you’re hoping for an FPV drone, you’ll doubtless be upset. The A1 is significantly dearer than a typical FPV setup, lacks acro mode, and doesn’t at present assist a conventional stick controller for exact piloting. It’s sluggish, has increased latency, and—like most digicam drones—merely isn’t constructed to crash.
Nevertheless, as an unconventional 360° digicam drone, the A1 is genuinely spectacular. You don’t want excellent framing; simply fly it and the 360° digicam captures every little thing round you. Reframing in submit removes a lot of the stress from filming, and since you possibly can export a number of angles from a single shot, one flight can produce content material equal to a number of conventional drone passes. Picture high quality isn’t class-leading in comparison with high motion cameras, however it’s completely ok for social media content material.
I can see the A1 changing into a strong software for content material creators, journey vloggers, and solo filmmakers as a result of it unlocks inventive prospects you merely can’t obtain with standard drones, like:
- Filming your self whereas flying away
- Capturing a number of digicam angles in a single flight
- Scouting and navigating utilizing a stay 360° preview
- Producing 360° images and movies with simple reframing afterward
Get the A1 drone bundle from AliExpress: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_c3DpzaGH
That mentioned, I do want the worth had been extra approachable—particularly with DJI is nearly to launch their very own 360 digicam drone, which is able to solely make this section extra aggressive.
As somebody who has been flying FPV for over a decade, I genuinely respect the innovation Antigravity is bringing to the desk. The A1 will not be for everybody, however it’s with out query one of the vital fascinating and forward-thinking drones I’ve examined in years. Watching how this expertise evolves subsequent goes to be very thrilling.