A 360-degree FPV drone unlike anything else

If DJI is entering the 360-degree action camera market, why shouldn’t Insta360 venture into drones? That was my immediate thought when the company announced its first drone, the A1, from a spin-off brand and team called Antigravity.

So, what is the A1? Is it an entry-level device? A camera for creators looking to spice up their videos without years of practice? A competitive POV drone? It’s a bit of all three, but the Antigravity A1 isn’t just a drone. It will eventually launch in a three-part set: the flying unit, OLED Vision goggles and a dedicated Grip motion controller.

In its current form, the Antigravity A1 weighs around 249 grams (8.8 ounces), which helps it duck around drone license requirements in most regions. (As it’s a preproduction model, this could change a little before it hits retail.) Two ultrawide cameras are positioned on the roof and underside of the drone instead of on the front. It’s like the Insta360 X5 camera is some sort of cocoon for the Antigravity A1.

With those two camera units, the A1 can capture video in 8K resolution, stretched across a sphere-like canvas from the drone’s point of view. With stitching algorithms that the company has continually improved over five generations of 360-degree cameras, this should result in mostly seamless footage where the A1 never interrupts the view. The drone itself won’t show up in your video. It’s like the company’s “invisible” selfie stick, but, well, up in the sky.

The A1 is unlike any other drone I’ve played with — something I learned when I tested a pre-production unit at a Mercedes-Benz race track in Schlüsselfeld, Germany. Naturally, this included high-speed cars, wet conditions and some near-misses.

Thanks to working at Engadget, I’m a drone dabbler, but Antigravity’s A1 is a different experience from the outset. Controlling the A1 involves strapping on companion goggles and steering it from a first-person perspective, controller in hand. However, unlike other FPV drones, you can look (and move) anywhere you want.

During roughly 15 minutes of flying time (you can see the highlights here), I found it’s a surprisingly intuitive experience. With other FPV drones, your view is locked to the direction of the camera. Sure, you can rotate rival drones to see elsewhere, like with DJI’s Avata, but it’s not the same. Because the A1 streams 360-degree video to the goggles, turning your head will never affect the direction it’s facing. Instead, you’ll just see what’s around the drone as it flies, making it far more intuitive for rookie drone pilots. Better still, you can strafe and move around while looking somewhere else — like video game controls for a first-person shooter.

This freedom of movement is elevated by the unique A1 controller, which is best described as a blend between a traditional drone controller and a Wiimote. While some of the physical buttons and dials adjust altitude, start/stop video recording and more, steering involves a point-and-click method. When you move your hand out to the right side, a reticle shows up on the goggles’ display. Pressing the trigger then will cause the A1 to shoot out in that direction, an action that Antigravity calls Freemotion control.

As I mentioned, this means I don’t have to look where I’m going — although it’s better if I do to avoid accidents (or collisions with an expensive Mercedes). If you’ve been intrigued by FPV drones, this is a simpler experience that feels freer, too. You can look wherever you want, not beholden to where cameras are pointed on other drones. I also think I could get friends and family flying the A1 around with minimal training. Speaking of spectators, Insta360 included a clever touch for them: the goggles have an external screen so that onlookers can see what’s happening. There is nothing duller than watching someone else fly a drone without being able to see their POV.

The A1 is a zippy little drone, presumably thanks to its low weight. But even at this preproduction stage, the resulting video looks better than I thought it would. Plus, it offers substantial versatility if you’re looking for action-packed shots.

After I tested the A1, Antigravity sent me my video from the drone, so I was about to reframe, crop and reposition the footage. You could even use the same 10 seconds and frame (or crop) to three very different angles. For example, you could extract a tracking shot of the car, a zoomed-in shot of the drone pilot or just the blue skies of Germany all from one clip. That’s the exciting part here.

Insta360 built excellent editing tools (mobile and desktop) for its cameras in the past, and it plans to do the same for its first drone. An early version of the software wasn’t without its hiccups, but editing was easy enough once I figured out that keyframes would anchor the drone’s view. I could then add several keyframes together, tagging objects I’d like to keep in frame or track. Editing my footage started to get oddly enjoyable, and I have never enjoyed that task.

Another feature the company emphasized is payload detection. While the exact weight limit is still being refined through further testing, Antigravity says the A1 won’t be able to fly if the drone detects it’s carrying something it shouldn’t — a move to further smooth potential license issues. The company also hinted at future accessories and peripherals to expand the A1 experience — something it has successfully done with its action cams and gimbals.

Some specs are still a mystery because the drone is a work in progress. To that end, the company is opening up applications for a co-creation project, where participants will get a pre-production Antigravity A1 in exchange for offering feedback. Ideas from these testers will be integrated into the final retail version, and the best ones could win a share of a $20,000 prize pool.

Flying the A1 around a racetrack was the most fun I’ve had with a drone in a long time. But, with goggles and a dedicated controller included, how much will a flight cost? That might decide whether Insta360’s Antigravity can carve out a place next to DJI’s army of drones.