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.
Antigravity A1 drone hands-on (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget)
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.
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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.
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