Antigravity A1 8K 360 Drone Launches Early, Captures the Full Circle

A new drone has just launched, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way we capture the world from above. Antigravity, a newcomer to the scene and a spinoff of the team at Insta360, created the A1.

With dual cameras on board, each equipped with a Type 1/1.28 sensor, you can record 8K resolution 360-degree film at 30 frames per second. If you want additional freedom, you may reduce the resolution to 5.2K at 60 frames or 4K at 100 frames, which are also great specifications. Photos are also impressive, with a whooping 55 megapixels available and the added bonus of raw DNG files for those who enjoy editing. This thing’s stabilization is also rock strong, due to FlowState technology, which handles the rough stuff even when the wind is howling at up to 23.9 miles per hour. And the greatest part is that the landing gear retracts completely, so you don’t have to worry about getting in the way of the view during takeoff or hover.

Getting the 249g A1 to fly is rather simple from the start. You can reach a top speed of 35.8 miles per hour sideways or climb at 17.9 miles per hour, and it will happily stay steady up to 2.5 miles above sea level. Battery life is also decent, lasting 24 minutes on the regular battery and 39 minutes if you upgrade to the larger one. However, one of the real attractions of this device is the control system. Forget joysticks; this drone is controlled by Vision Goggles, which have two 1-inch Micro-OLED screens, each spewing out 2560 x 2560 pixels of clarity. They are so responsive that they track your head movements to maneuver the drone. And if that isn’t enough, you can link them with The Grip, a handheld gadget that analyzes your arm movements and guides the course wirelessly, leaving your hands free for changes.

Solo pilots benefit greatly from automation as well. Sky Genie offers to do the work for you with predefined patterns such as orbits, spirals, and comets, orbiting subjects in full surround with minimum trouble. Deep Track detects people or things and follows without requiring you to bang away at the buttons all day. Then there’s Virtual Cockpit, which effectively transforms your entire flight experience into a video game. Overlays appear on the goggles, displaying everything from a dragon wrapping itself around the stream to altitude readouts floating in view. It’s a game changer for extended sessions; a little extra fun makes the entire experience much less exhausting.

Editing is always an afterthought; the fun typically ends before you can start worrying about it. The Antigravity App takes care of the fundamentals on your phone. To reframe a shot, simply drag a box around the 360 sphere on the screen, and then export the entire thing to social media in one move. If you need to get some serious work done, launch the Antigravity Studio app on your desktop. It has several automated features, such as automatically pulling out highlights from areas where people or objects are moving the fastest, but if you prefer more manual control, you can simply drag sliders to adjust colors, brightness, and speed ramps.

In terms of accessories, you can purchase a mount for automobiles or bikes to take the drone with you on ground activities. There’s also the chance of new flight modes being implemented, such as a group sync option that connects many drones. A dock that can charge many batteries at the same time makes battery changes simple, while microSD cards (up to 1TB) are used for storage, which amounts to hours of raw 8K film.

Pricing starts from $1,599 with the base kit, and it includes the drone, goggles and a Grip to get you off the ground. If you’re ready to spend $1,899, the Explorer includes extra batteries and casings to keep you flying longer. The most expensive option ($1,999) comes with spare props and a protective case. Pre-orders are currently live at B&H Photo, and while shipping is primarily to the United States for the time being, global distribution is planned. Early customers will receive firmware updates in the coming months, which should improve tracking and battery life.