I test drones for a living – here’s why Insta360’s Antigravity debut is the most exciting one for years

• Antigravity’s Insta360-powered first drone is focussed on simplicity
• 360 drone with ‘immersive flight’ is set for August launch
• It will shoot 8K video and weigh under 250g

There’s a new player entering the drone game, and I couldn’t be more excited. This week’s announcement (or should that be “pre-announcement”?) from Antigravity teasing its forthcoming 360 drone means that market leader DJI is about to get a major rival.

The Antigravity drone, developed by Insta360 and some unspecified third parties, isn’t a straight-up competitor to DJI’s range; it’s instead taking things in a different direction. By offering 8K 360-degree capture of everything around it – like a flying version of the superb Insta360 X5 camera – this is the first ever drone to offer immersive all-around capture out of the box.

Details are scant at the moment, but Antigravity’s press release promises to “replace the technical complexity inherent in both drone flying and 360-degree videography with expressive, story-first experiences that are easy to master yet exceptionally powerful.”

Ease of use is clearly going to be a major marketing point of this first Antigravity drone, with the release going on to mention intuitive, family-friendly operation aimed at people who don’t have time to learn “complex flight controls and aerial content creation”. And that focus on simplicity and ease of use is hugely exciting to me.

Simply does it

Don’t get me wrong – I love the power and advanced capabilities of DJI’s premium drones like the Mavic 4 Pro, and learning how best to use them to create impactful aerial photographs and videos. As someone who has been reviewing drones ever since the original DJI Phantoms were released over a decade ago, I’ve had plenty of time to master quadcopter flight. And, let’s face it, it’s not like DJI’s drones are particularly difficult to fly, thanks to their plethora of built-in safety features, wind resistance and automated flight modes.

But the idea of an ultra-focussed, low-complexity drone designed purely for 360 video is also compelling – even if it’s, for now, all just marketing talk with few concrete details. Antigravity is making some bold claims – and it has to, if it wants to attract attention in a market absolutely dominated by DJI.

However, I can already spot two key areas in which the Antigravity drone keeps things simple. The first is its weight, which we know will be under 250g. That means it’s free from many of the restrictions and rules governing drones. In the US, drones under 250g are exempt from FAA registration for recreational use, while in the UK they don’t require a Flyer ID, can be flown closer than 50m to uninvolved people and can be flown at residential, recreational, commercial and industrial sites. Less paperwork and more scope for flying are always welcome.

You might be thinking, “but DJI makes sub-250g drones too” – and you’d be right. The DJI Flip, DJI Neo and the DJI Mini range of drones all fall into the ultra-lightweight category, so this isn’t an area where Antigravity can differentiate itself. Where it can, however, is with 360 video.

Because the Antigravity drone’s camera design captures everything around it, all the time, the user doesn’t need to point the camera at a particularly subject when flying. The user just flies, lets the 360 camera do its thing and then, later on, can reframe the video to ensure that it’s pointing in the right direction. You’ll never miss a shot. This isn’t something we’ve ever seen integrated into a drone before, and truly sets the Antigravity apart from its competitors.

If I can forget about restrictions and forget about camera control, then all I need to worry about is putting the Antigravity drone in the right places. That’s a huge win in my book – and I can’t wait to take this new drone for a test flight.

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