DJI has announced the new Avata 360, a 360° FPV drone that aims to combine immersive flying with full spherical capture. It’s essentially DJI taking the Avata concept and merging it with a 360 camera workflow – shoot everything in one go, then decide your framing later.

It’s capable of shooting 8K 360° video at up to 60fps, along with 120MP stills, and uses dual 1/1.1-inch sensors to capture the full spherical image. The idea is simple: instead of pointing your camera while flying, you just fly, and worry about composition afterwards.

A 360 camera in the air

The Avata 360 uses two 1/1.1″ square CMOS sensors, each with 64MP resolution, paired with ultra-wide 200° lenses. Together, they stitch a full 360° image, giving you a final output of:

• 8K (7680×3840) 360 video
• 6K 360 video
• 30MP or 120MP 360 photos (JPEG/DNG)

Unlike traditional drones, where framing is locked in at capture, this lets you reframe shots later – rotate, pan, or even “look backwards” after the flight.

If you don’t want the full 360 workflow, there’s also a single-lens mode offering up to 4K/60fps, essentially behaving like a more traditional FPV drone. And you can even fly it with a traditional style controller. Of course, the motion controller is still an option, too.

Virtual gimbal and post-driven shooting

The big selling point here isn’t just resolution or frame rate – it’s flexibility.

Because everything is captured in 360°, DJI is leaning heavily on what it calls a “virtual gimbal”. Instead of relying purely on mechanical stabilisation, you can rotate the horizon after the fact, reframe shots in any direction, and simulate camera moves like pans, tilts and flips in post.

There is still a single-axis mechanical gimbal (tilt) onboard, but most of the creative control comes from the 360 capture itself.

Tracking, automation and FPV modes

As you’d expect, DJI is layering in a lot of its software-driven features here. ActiveTrack 360° is designed to keep subjects framed within the full spherical capture, while Spotlight Free helps maintain composition during flight without needing constant manual input. The idea is that you can focus more on flying and less on actively pointing the camera.

There’s also an FPV mode that can be applied in post, adding roll to give footage a more dynamic, high-speed feel. Combined with gyro-based reframing tools in DJI’s apps, the Avata 360 leans heavily into a workflow where a lot of the creative decisions happen after the flight rather than during it.

Transmission, safety and flight performance

The Avata 360 uses DJI’s O4+ transmission system, delivering a live feed at up to 1080p, with higher frame rates available in single-lens mode. DJI claims a maximum range of up to 20km under FCC conditions, which is in line with its higher-end consumer drones.

On the safety side, it combines omnidirectional obstacle sensing with a forward-facing LiDAR sensor and a downward infrared system. That combination should offer more reliable obstacle detection, particularly in lower light where vision-based systems alone tend to struggle. The drone also includes integrated propeller guards, which makes sense given its FPV focus.

Flight time is rated at up to 23 minutes, and it weighs in at around 455g, putting it outside the sub-250g category and into a more typical mid-range drone class. This is where the A1 still has the advantage in some regions.

Storage, bitrate and practical limits

There’s 42GB of internal storage, which DJI says is enough for roughly 30 minutes of 8K 360 footage. This is 22GB more than the Antigravity A1’s internal storage.

Maximum video bitrate is listed at 180 Mbps, which is something to keep in mind. While 8K/60 sounds impressive on paper, that bitrate isn’t especially high for that resolution, so real-world image quality will depend heavily on compression performance.

Replaceable lens is a smart addition

One genuinely practical feature is the replaceable front lens element.

Crash damage is pretty common with FPV flying, and instead of sending the drone off for repair, you can swap out the lens yourself with a replacement kit. That’s a small thing, but likely a very welcome one.

And, the only other competition on the market has a replacement lens kit, so they kind of have to offer it, really.

How it compares to the Antigravity A1

If this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve already seen something similar with the Antigravity A1. That drone leaned heavily into the “360-first aerial camera” idea, and from experience, the biggest appeal wasn’t just the resolution – it was the ability to capture everything and figure it out later.

The Avata 360 looks like DJI’s take on that concept, but with stronger ecosystem integration, a more robust transmission system, and more mature tracking and automation features. That being said, many Insta360 and Antigravity users hype their smartphone apps as being the best in the business for working with your devices (at least action and 360 cameras) and the footage they create.

So, it will be interesting to see how DJI’s app compares here once it sees the addition of 360-degree drone support.

One thing’s for sure, the fact that you can fly this with a traditional controller and you aren’t bound to the goggles each time you fly… That’s going to be a huge selling point to some over the Antigravity A1 – myself included, I suppose – unless Antigravity responds with a controller of their own.

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Availability

The DJI Avata 360 is launching globally, although prices and availability vary by region. It will go on sale immediately in China, with pre-orders elsewhere.

Interestingly, and perhaps for obvious reasons, it won’t be officially available through DJI’s US website, which could limit access for some users. At least for now. Estimated US prices based on EU € prices are as follows…

• Drone only: ~$528–$533
• Fly More Combo (RC 2): ~$1,080–$1,089
• Motion Fly More Combo: ~$1,080
• Premium Combo (goggles + RC 2): ~$1,300–$1,333

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