Insta360’s Antigravity challenges DJI with 8K 360-degree drone

The consumer drone industry is facing new competition from China, as Antigravity – a new brand from omnidirectional camera specialist Insta360, is set to unveil its first product.

Scheduled to be unveiled in August, the unmanned aerial vehicle weighs less than 249 grams and features a built-in 360-degree camera with 8K resolution, according to the company. That would make it the industry’s first “360 drone”: until now, users have resorted to attaching full-degree cameras to their flying machines.

According to Antigravity’s website, which launched on Monday, the new drone supports real-time data transmission and allows users to adjust shooting parameters during flights.

After years of quiet development, the vehicle aims to cater to both experts and beginners, as well as “everyone in between”. Antigravity, known as Yingling in Chinese, said that the industry had hit a bottleneck, with some users feeling “tired of drones that looked good on paper but felt lifeless in the air”.

While Antigravity did not disclose its location, the company said it was incubated by Shenzhen-based Insta360 “in collaboration with third parties”, and developed by “a global team of engineers, designers, and creators”.