With DJI facing an imminent import ban in the US and its flagship drones disappearing from shelves, the new Antigravity A1 didn’t need to be a groundbreaking gadget to make headlines. It just needed to be a competent alternative that you can actually buy in the United States. In August, the Chinese brand couldn’t promise that for sure.
But today, it’s happening: the Antigravity A1 is now on sale at Best Buy here in the US, on shelves and shipping this very week. It seems Best Buy jumped the gun ahead of a full reveal tomorrow, December 4th — there’s one for sale at my local store right now!
And thankfully, it’s not just a DJI alternative: this $1,599 drone and headset combo is like nothing I’ve tried before.
As I explained in August and as you can see in my embedded video, this 8K drone isn’t about “piloting a drone” or “shooting aerial footage.” It’s designed to keep you from having to think about flying or filming at all.
The 360-degree camera and motion-sensing goggles let you simply turn your head to look in any direction. Inside, you’ll see a line you can move with your arm and point where you want to go. Pull a trigger, and the drone flies there, while your head stays free to take in the sights from above. And because you’re recording video in every direction simultaneously, you can rotate and zoom your recorded video when you’re done.
At $1,599 — $1,899 if you want three batteries, a multi-charger, and a carrying case, or $1,999 for three “high-capacity” batteries according to the Best Buy listing — this drone is more expensive than drones with cameras that’ll produce higher-quality traditional rectangular footage.
In my early demo, the Antigravity A1 weighs, flies, and folds like a DJI Mini, not the higher-grade Mavic or Air, even though it’s priced closer to where those higher-end drones were priced when they were broadly available in the US.
But none of those prosumer DJI drones came with a 360-degree camera system and bundled goggles that make easy flying and filming the priority. (Antigravity’s goggles are more impressive, too.) But that could happen with DJI’s own 360-degree drone, the Avata 360, which just got FCC clearance last week. Maybe it’ll make it to the US before the door closes on future DJI gadgets.
The Avata 360 might be a different beast than the Antigravity A1, though. While the A1 is a beginner-friendly Mini-style drone that gently flies around, and is light enough that it shouldn’t need registration, DJI’s Avata line has been heavier cinewhoop-style FPV drones designed for swooping and soaring at high speed.
