The consumer drone market in 2026 is clearly shifting toward full spherical video. Instead of aiming a fixed camera lens, 360-degree drones record the entire environment at once. You fly first, then frame your shots later in software.

As of now, two top contenders dominate this space: the Antigravity A1 and the DJI Avata 360. Both target hobbyists and creators, but their hardware and flight philosophy differ sharply.

After playing with both drones for the past few months, here’s my take on what type of person or flight each drone is best for, what’s actually worth it, and whether one drone truly is better than the other.

Hardware and build quality

A look at the Antigravity A1 hardware

The Antigravity in the hard sided case, headset with battery, and joystick.

The Antigravity kit focuses on an immersive, head-mounted experience out of the box. The headset uses an adjustable velcro strap and an external battery pack. Small OLED screens on the outside of the goggles show system status and live camera views without requiring you to put the headset on.

The joystick is a single-handed motion controller with buttons for record, photo, flight modes, emergency brake, and menu navigation. The platform features folding motor arms that collapse into a compact, highly portable package.The camera consists of dual 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensors mounted on the top and bottom of the chassis.

Antigravity A1 with landing legs extended

To keep the bottom glass lens off dirt and rocks during takeoff, you must manually extend built-in landing legs before flight. This drone is unique in that the 2 wide angle lenses are in a fixed position pointing straight up and down, the downward lens is going to be susceptible to damage from touching the ground if you aren’t careful. Be sure to always use the included landing pad, and don’t forget to manually extend those landing legs before setting down. Forgetting this step on the wrong surface will mean a scratched lens.

This kit did come with a shoulder bag to pack everything in, which makes for easy portability.

A look at the DJI Avata 360 hardware

DJI takes a traditional, rigid approach to its airframe layout. The controller works with standard handheld remotes, like the RC 2 with an integrated display screen, as well as motion controllers. You can pair the drone with FPV goggles, but you can also fly entirely via a screen on your controller. The platform is a rigid, non-folding frame. Heavy-duty propeller guards surround the rotors to absorb impacts. The cameras consist of dual 1-inch CMOS sensors.

When the cameras are in landing mode they are rotated away from the ground and safe from scratches. Besides the box it came in, the Avata didn’t come with any type of case (unless you opt for the Fly More Combo), so be sure to shop for some options to help out with the portability of this kit if you don’t go for the Fly More version.

Hardware verdict

Antigravity wins on portability hands down. Its folding design and light frame fit easily into small backpacks and the provided shoulder bag. For pilots who must travel light, the rigid, bulky shape of the Avata 360 might be a dealbreaker.

Another win for the Antigravity is the takeoff weight. The Antigravity weighs in at 249 grams, which puts it below the FAA’s sub-250g threshold. This matters for regulatory registration compliance in some markets, in that you don’t need to register it to fly for recreational purposes. On the flip side, the Avata 360 weighs about 455 grams, which means in the U.S. you’ll need to register with the FAA before flying the Avata.

However, DJI wins across most other hardware categories. The Avata 360 wins on control flexibility, allowing you to choose between line-of-sight screen flying and head-mounted FPV goggles.

Additionally, the built in rotor guards are a huge plus for DJI. Plus, DJI wins on landing gear design, removing the risk of scratched optics if you forget to flip down manual legs.

And finally, DJI wins on camera hardware, as its larger 1-inch sensors capture cleaner detail and better dynamic range.

Software ecosystem

Both platforms perform reliably when connecting hardware, managing settings and updating system software.

Antigravity uses a mobile smartphone application to manage firmware updates and initial pairings. Make sure you have space on your phone – the app file size is roughly 1.2 gigabytes, and initial firmware packages reach 2 gigabytes. The desktop and mobile editing suite handles 360-degree reframing smoothly, allowing you to turn spherical video into flat 16:9 or 9:16 clips with simple keyframes.

DJI integrates the Avata 360 into its existing software ecosystem via the DJI Fly app and desktop suite.

Both software platforms process spherical video well and will be familiar to those used to editing action camera footage. To those that are new to this type of video editing software, the learning curve can be a little steep, but the reward is some eye catching footage. They automatically stitch out the seam line where the two lens views meet, making the drone invisible in the final export. When it came to stitching 360 views together I found both drones had excellent quality with no visible artifacts or ghosting lines.

Flight performance and user experience

Flying the Antigravity A1

Flying the Antigravity A1 is a unique, futuristic experience. You put on the headset, point the joystick into open space, and pull the acceleration trigger. The drone flies toward the point in your view, regardless of where its nose is pointing.

Antigravity 360 video processed in Antigravity Studio and converted to gif for easy viewing in this article.

You can tell a lot of thought went into the headset. For example — in addition to the view you get when wearing the headset — there is also a screen on the front, allowing you to look at settings or firmware update progress without needing to wear it. This also allows others to see what you are looking at while in flight, which makes for a compelling use case that has been used in settings such as classrooms and even at a hospice and respite center for kids.

The author, Adam Clark.

Headset with forward screen showing the view of the pilot.

Important safety rules for FPV flight:

Always use a visual observer: You cannot see your physical surroundings while wearing a headset. A spotter keeps eyes on the airspace.
Always sit down: It is interesting to me that all the Antigravity A1 advertisement videos showed people standing and walking around while wearing the headset. I found the best practice is to sit down and stay put, it’s too easy to get disoriented and trip, potentially scratching and breaking your new gear, nevermind your limbs!

It takes a few minutes to adapt to the control logic, but once you get the hang of it, navigating wide-open spaces feels natural. My kids took to it in seconds.

Gif showing the drone’s reaction to the joystick movement commands.

One big gripe I have is that the cord from the headset to the battery wasn’t quite long enough to settle in my pocket. I’m 6 ft tall, and the cord length was just fine for my shorter companions, so those with longer torsos beware.

There is one key flight hazard in cinematic mode that I discovered immediately: altitude control. If you tilt the joystick point below the visual horizon line while pulling the trigger, the drone begins descending (this is pretty easy to do if you relax your hand while flying). Without a visible horizon indicator or altitude warning in the headset, you can lose height quickly without realizing it.

The Antigravity also has a FPV mode, where you can take forward facing video, and the drone will sweep left or right as if flying a cinematic FPV drone. Between the 360 camera and the FPV mode, it feels that there are no limits to what and how you can capture footage.

Flying the DJI Avata 360

Operating the Avata 360 with a standard screen controller requires little break-in period for those used to the controls. Anyone who has flown a standard camera drone will feel comfortable immediately.

Using a controller with a screen offers clear practical advantages:

You do not need a dedicated spotter to monitor the airspace around you.
You maintain direct line-of-sight with the aircraft while viewing live telemetry and camera framing on your screen.
You can walk around without the risk of tripping.
You eliminate the risk of motion sickness associated with FPV goggles.

But if you would like you can also purchase the DJI headset to get the same type of views as the Antigravity. I was not able to test that hardware for this review.

The Avata 360 also features a single-lens mode. This setting turns off one camera and uses the remaining lens like a traditional forward-facing FPV drone shooting 4K video. You can replicate fast, sweeping FPV flight paths using a basic handheld controller, avoiding the setup hassle of goggles and external batteries.

This versatility essentially makes these 360 drones a 2-in-1 package. By offering both a full 360-degree immersive mode and a dedicated single-lens 4K mode, it functions as both a specialized spherical video capture tool and a standard FPV cinematic drone. This gives creators the flexibility of two distinct aircraft types in a single package. This applies to both the Antigravity and the Avata 360. For those looking to make video content and capture great images from a different perspective, these types of drones are an exciting new development and inspires even more creativity in this market.

Example gif showing the turns in single lens FPV flight mode on the Avata 360

Image quality and data capture

360-degree cameras capture everything around the aircraft, leaving framing decisions for post-production. Both models output impressive spherical images, but sensor hardware creates a clear gap in image fidelity.

The Antigravity A1 captures 8K video at 30 frames per second using its dual 1/1.28-inch sensors. In direct daylight, colors look vibrant, and exposures balance sky highlights and ground shadows effectively. To edit the media on a desktop you’ll need to download the Antigravity Studio application, I found it to be a powerful and intuitive tool for creating videos.

The DJI Avata 360 captures 8K video at 60 frames per second using its dual 1-inch CMOS sensors. The larger physical pixels capture more light, giving DJI a clear advantage in high-contrast or low-light situations. Shadow details remain clean, and highlights resist clipping. The higher frame rate also allows creators to export smooth slow-motion clips during the post-production reframing process. Similar to Antigravity, to do desktop editing you’ll need the DJI Studio desktop application. It had similar functionality and layouts to the Antigravity Studio app. Both software options were excellent to use.

While both drones produce great footage for social media and personal archives, the Avata 360’s superior optics, higher frame rates, and higher video bitrates deliver better overall image quality.

Antigravity A1 vs. DJI Avata 360: Which is better?

Both aircraft advance recreational drone photography by separating flight path control from camera direction.

Choose the Antigravity A1 if portability is your top priority. Its folding frame and lightweight build make it an ideal travel companion for creators who want an immersive, headset-first flying experience.

Choose the DJI Avata 360 if you want superior camera performance, robust hardware protection, and options for flight controls. Its larger sensors, fixed lens protection, and ability to fly via a standard screen controller make it the stronger overall package for most hobbyists.

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