DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: What’s the difference?

With the launch of the Avata 360, DJI has officially entered the 360º drone market. The new model has been teased by the brand for weeks, and rumours have circulated for months, but even with all that, the final product still surprised everyone, including the brand's fans.

DJI’s take on the concept follows the release of Insta360-incubated Antigravity’s A1, the first 360-degree drone ever. It was launched in December 2025, and offered a new take on piloting, thanks to its clever camera mechanism and “shoot first, edit later” approach borrowed from action cameras like the Insta360 X5.

The two drones are in direct competition and offer similar feature sets, but there are key differences in how they operate and in the footage you can capture with them. Antigravity’s approach is to offer a more playful, almost gadget-like experience with the A1, while the Avata 360 builds on DJI’s years of experience as a drone maker and undercuts the rival by a large margin.

Both have their place in the drone market, but the aggressive pricing strategy certainly puts Antigravity on its back foot. That said, the A1’s lightness means that more people will be able to use it without restrictions, and it might also be a better choice for hobbyists. Which is the best drone for 360º footage, and should you buy… either? Let’s find out.

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1

Price and availability

DJI decided to price the Avata 360 rather aggressively. The drone starts at £409 for the standalone unit, rising to £639 with the DJI RC 2 controller, and £829 for the Fly More Combo and Motion Controller bundle. It is available to pre-order now, with shipping expected to begin in April 2026.

The Antigravity A1, which launched at the end of 2025, carries a much higher price tag, starting at $1,599 / £1,219 / €1,399 / AU$2,199 for the Standard bundle, with higher-tier packages approaching $2,000 / £1,500 / €1,700 / AU$2,900. Recent discounts have brought the entry price down slightly, but it remains firmly in premium territory.

Winner: DJI’s Avata 360 is hands down the cheaper option.

Design and build quality

The weight difference between these two drones is the first thing that defines them. The Antigravity A1 weighs 249 g with its standard battery, which falls under the EU C0 classification threshold. The weight rises to 291 g with the High-Capacity Flight Battery, nudging it into C1.

The DJI Avata 360 tips the scales at 455 g from the outset, a C1 drone by default. That's an 83% weight premium over the A1's base configuration, and you not only feel the gap immediately in the hand, but you will also need an appropriate licence to fly it.

Dimensionally, the two drones take opposing approaches to the same problem. The A1 folds to 141.3 × 96.2 × 81.4 mm, deploying to a 308.6 × 382.3 mm footprint with propellers extended, optimised for transport and rapid deployment.

The Avata 360 follows the design language of its predecessors and is fixed at 246 × 199 × 55.5 mm, with integrated propeller guards that eliminate the need for a folding mechanism.

Both drones feature user-replaceable lenses, which makes sense in the A1’s case, as it uses the Insta360 X5’s camera unit. DJI’s own 360-degree camera, the DJI Osmo 360, doesn’t have this feature, but clearly, the brand added it on the drone for convenience.

Winner: The A1 can be flown in more areas and requires a less advanced licence.

Camera performance

The two drones use fundamentally different imaging technologies, and the specs clearly show this. The Antigravity A1 is built around a pair of 1/1.28-inch sensors shooting in 360°, while the Avata 360 steps up to dual 1/1.1-inch square CMOS sensors, larger in both area and effective pixel count, at 64 MP per sensor.

Both use wide, fast apertures designed to maximise light intake: f/2.2 on the A1, f/1.9 on the Avata 360. That half-stop advantage is modest on its own, but combined with the larger sensor area, the Avata 360 has a meaningful edge in low-light capture.

The A1 tops out at 55 MP stills (10496 × 5248) and 8K video at up to 30 fps, with 5.2K available at 60 fps and 4K at up to 100 fps for slow-motion work. The Avata 360 can do 120 MP stills (15520 × 7760) and 8K video at up to 60fps, double the A1's peak frame rate at maximum resolution. For video, both cap out at 180 Mbps bitrate on the Avata 360 versus 170 Mbps on the A1, a negligible difference in practice.

The A1 relies on a single-axis mechanical gimbal paired with FlowState electronic stabilisation, inherited directly from Insta360's action camera line. The Avata 360 uses a single-axis mechanical gimbal on the tilt axis supplemented by a 360° virtual gimbal, enabling infinite tilt and roll adjustment in post. For pilots using DJI Goggles, RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonBalancing are also available in single-lens mode.

Colour science is another differentiator. The Avata 360 supports D-Log M across its full resolution range, allowing more pro users to edit the footage in post better. The A1 shoots in a fixed colour profile with no log option, which simplifies the workflow but limits flexibility in post-production.

Both drones support intelligent tracking, though their implementations differ. The A1's Deep Track can lock onto subjects in any direction after the fact, since everything is already captured in 360°, removing the need to aim during flight. The Avata 360 offers ActiveTrack 360°, which tracks subjects in real time across the full spherical frame, with Standard and Cycling modes automatically adapting to subject behaviour.

Winner: The Avata 360 leads in raw imaging capability, with larger sensors, higher-resolution stills, 8K60fps video, and D-Log M support, giving it more latitude for serious creative work.

Flight performance

The two drones approach flight from opposite ends of the control philosophy spectrum. The Avata 360 is a conventional fixed-guard FPV aircraft, piloted via DJI's RC 2, RC-N2 or RC-N3 remote controllers, or, for a more immersive experience, via DJI Goggles paired with the RC Motion 3.

The A1 dispenses with traditional sticks entirely, using the Grip motion controller and Vision Goggles as its primary interface. You steer by pointing, not by pushing sticks, which makes the A1 feel closer to a first-person flying experience than a conventional drone.

Both are rated to a maximum wind resistance of Level 5, or 10.7 m/s, and both achieve ±0.1 m vertical hovering accuracy with vision positioning active.

In terms of speed, the Avata 360 can reach 18 m/s in Sport mode (vs the A1's 16 m/s), and its maximum ascent and descent speeds of 10 m/s in Sport mode exceed the A1's 8 m/s. The Avata 360 can also take off from altitudes of up to 4,500 m versus the A1's 4,000 m, which probably won’t matter too much for most users.

The A1 provides forward binocular vision sensing from 0.5–18 m and downward 3D infrared detection from 0.3–7.5 m, a practical safety layer for forward flight and landing, but with no lateral, rearward or upward coverage.

The Avata 360 offers full omnidirectional sensing across all axes, with forward LiDAR-assisted detection extending to 20 m and a downward 3D ToF sensor with a 10 m precise hovering range.

In terms of video transmission, the A1 uses OmniLink 360, with a maximum range of 10 km under FCC standards and an average latency of approximately 150 ms. The Avata 360's O4+ system reaches 20 km under FCC, with a lowest latency of approximately 130 ms at 1080p/60fps.

Intelligent flight modes are more extensive on the Avata 360, including Spotlight Free, ActiveTrack 360° with Standard and Cycling modes, and a Virtual Gimbal enabling infinite tilt and roll during flight. The A1 focuses its autonomous features on post-flight reframing rather than in-flight automation, with Deep Track applying subject locking retroactively to 360° footage.

Winner: The Avata 360 is faster, better-sensed and with a longer transmission range.

Battery life and charging

Flight endurance figures favour the A1 on paper, though with an important caveat. With its standard 2,360 mAh Flight Battery, the A1 is rated for up to 24 minutes, rising to 39 minutes with the optional 4,345 mAh High-Capacity Flight Battery.

The Avata 360 is rated for approximately 23 minutes from its 2,700 mAh cell. On standard batteries, the gap is narrow, but the A1's high-capacity option is in a different class entirely, offering nearly 70% more flight time at the cost of increasing the aircraft's weight from 249 g to 291 g and pushing it out of the EU C0 weight bracket.

The A1's Explorer and Infinity bundles include a charging hub, which is essential for back-to-back sessions, given the drone's reliance on goggles and controller batteries, as well as the flight pack itself.

The Vision Goggles draw from a separate 4,500 mAh, 32.85 Wh external battery rated for up to 2.5 hours, and the Grip controller carries a 2,300 mAh cell good for approximately 4 hours. Managing three independent power sources isn’t ideal, but it’s a price to pay for cutting edge technology.

The Avata 360's battery charges via USB-C and benefits from DJI's established charging ecosystem, with Fly More Combo options providing additional batteries and a multi-bay hub for sequential charging.

Winner: The A1 wins on maximum endurance if you're willing to carry the high-capacity battery and accept the regulatory trade-off.

Verdict

These two drones are more complementary than they are direct competitors, and choosing between them comes down to a clear set of priorities.

The Avata 360 makes a compelling case on almost every technical metric. Its larger sensors, higher resolution, 8K60fps video, D-Log M colour profile, omnidirectional obstacle sensing, O4+ transmission and 20 km range represent a meaningfully more capable package.

Plus, at a starting price of £409 for the drone alone, it undercuts the A1 by a considerable margin.

For creators who want serious imaging performance and the flexibility to fly with either a conventional remote or immersive goggles, DJI's offering is difficult to argue against.

The A1 occupies a different position. It was first to market with a fully realised 360° drone experience, and the motion-controlled, headset-first flight system it introduced remains genuinely distinctive.

Its “shoot-now, frame-later” workflow suits travel photographers and creators who prioritise flexibility, and the high-capacity battery option gives it the upper hand in terms of endurance over the Avata 360 (for now).

That said, at £1,219 for the Standard Bundle, nearly three times the Avata 360's entry price, it faces a significantly harder sell now that DJI has entered the category with comparable imaging and superior flight capability at a fraction of the cost.

The arrival of the Avata 360 has sharpened the competitive landscape considerably.

Antigravity deserves credit for building the category from scratch; however, as expected from DJI, it has responded to the challenge with a drone that matches or exceeds it in most measurable areas while also making it a lot cheaper.

Unless the A1's unique motion-control experience or its extended battery life is a specific priority, the Avata 360 represents the stronger overall proposition at launch.

Overall winner: DJI Avata 360. Better imaging, broader sensing, longer range and a dramatically lower price point make it a more compelling buy for the majority of creators entering the 360° drone space. A small caveat is that the drone is certainly aimed at more experienced pilots and enthusiasts rather than beginner pilots. They are better off splashing the cash on the A1.