Antigravity launches 8K 360-degree camera drone and it’s a delight to fly

Antigravity has officially launched Antigravity A1, claiming it is the world’s “first” consumer aerial drone with integrated 360-degree video capture. The release comes a month earlier than its originally planned release date of January 2026. After spending time with the A1, it’s the first gadget in a long time that reminded me that technology was once wonderful and fun – and can be again.

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Action camera company Insta360 initially unveiled the new Antigravity drone brand in July. At the time, the company announced that its first product would not only offer unprecedented 8K 360-degree aerial recording, but that it would be designed in a way that even amateurs could use it with ease.

This first drone was later revealed to be the A1, with Antigravity stating that it is piloted using controls similar to virtual reality headsets. In a press release, the company said the product was “for anyone who has always wanted a drone, but feels it would be too big an investment for something they may never be able to use to its full potential.”

This is an ambitious goal, as drones are often considered gadgets reserved for enthusiasts. However, after playing with the A1 drone myself, it seems that Antigravity has managed to achieve this. Mashable can confirm that the Antigravity A1 is indeed delightfully easy to fly, and the device allows even drone novices to capture spectacular, high-quality aerial footage.

Antigravity A1: first impressions: Intuitive and fun

Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

My previous experience flying drones involved much more common dual-stick controls, which I struggled to navigate and left myself worried about crashing. In contrast, the Antigravity A1’s controls are simple and intuitive enough that I was able to hand it over to someone else to fly on site, providing only a quick overview of the controls.

The Antigravity A1 consists of three main components: the Vision Goggles, the Grip Controller, and the A1 drone itself. The lightweight white drone weighs only 249 grams and is particularly compact. With its four arms folded, the drone fits neatly into a small protective case, which in turn fits into a padded camera bag with its accessories. This makes the A1 easily portable wherever you take aerial photos.

The controls on the Antigravity A1 are simple and intuitive enough that I was able to hand it over to someone else to fly it on site.

The Vision glasses are also lightweight, helped by the fact that Antigravity doesn’t integrate its battery into the body of the gadget. Instead, users hang the battery around their neck like a pendant, with a wire running up to the glasses to keep it powered. It’s no more annoying than wearing wired headphones, but even so, it wouldn’t be surprising if Antigravity continued to refine this in the future.

Credit: Antigravity

The combination of Vision Goggles and Grip Controller makes the A1 drone delightfully easy and intuitive to fly. Simply press the trigger to accelerate and move the controller in the desired direction. Pointing the controller up will make the A1 rise higher, or you can slide a tab on the controller to adjust its elevation. Taking off is also just a simple swipe of the tab.

Landing is even simpler. When you’re done flying, simply use the Grip Controller to open a menu on the Vision Goggles and tell your A1 to go home. This will prompt the drone to return to its takeoff location and deploy its landing gear autonomously. Not having to manually land the A1 relieves a lot of stress, especially for nervous new pilots.

Add to that a built-in obstacle avoidance system that stops the drone before collisions, and the Antigravity A1 seems virtually foolproof. Still, the A1 comes with spare propellers, while its 360-degree camera lens can be replaced with a kit sold separately.

Credit: Antigravity

The Antigravity A1 is simple enough to use that many less tech-savvy users can pick it up and get started flying with relative ease. A clear, built-in tutorial quickly introduces new users to many of the basics needed to fly, leaving the finer details for later discovery by digging through the Vision goggle menu. This includes features like the Virtual Cockpit, a slightly silly first-person view option that adds an animated dragon that you can “ride.”

However, it’s worth noting that Antigravity’s reliance on the A1’s intuitive controls results in a fairly minimalist approach to the included printing instructions. I had some difficulty figuring out how to turn the A1 off, which led to several long and confusing minutes of pressing buttons and scouring the manual for anything I’d missed. (Pro tip: You’ll need to press the power button once, then press and hold it a second time.)

Users should also bring an observer with them when they take flight, so there is someone to keep an eye on the drone and you. While Vision Glasses are great for immersing yourself in the A1’s point of view, they also cut off your vision of everything around you, leaving you without situational awareness. You can switch between the drone view and a black-and-white passthrough view with a double press of a side button. However, there is currently no option to display both views at once. Hopefully this feature can be added in a future update.

Credit: Antigravity

When it comes to image quality, the Antigravity A1 continued to impress, delivering beautifully smooth, clear and transparent 8K 360 video. This isn’t surprising, as Antigravity previously confirmed that the A1’s dual-lens camera system mirrors Insta360’s proven X-series of 360 cameras. Footage can be edited directly in the Antigravity app, although there is also an option to produce an AI-generated montage set to the in-app music if you’re feeling lazy or lacking editing skills.

For those concerned about privacy, Antigravity clarifies that there is no automatic upload of video recordings from the drone. Images are only stored on board the A1, Vision glasses and any SD card you might insert, which you can then transfer to your phone or computer. Antigravity told Mashable that it only collects crucial data about drone usage, such as activation details and flight safety information, and does not collect personal or location data unless users upload flight logs. The information collected is stored in nearby data centers, with US user data held on servers located in the country.

Where to buy the Antigravity A1 drone

The Antigravity A1 drone is available starting today and starts from $1,599 for the standard package. There’s also an $1,899 Explorer Pack and a $1,999 Infinity Pack, each of which includes different accessories depending on your needs.

U.S. drone pilots can purchase the Antigravity A1 at Best Buy or the Antigravity store online. As always, remember to check your local laws and airspace restrictions before flying a drone.