DJI Avata 360 rears its head with launch details and 1/1.1-inch CMOS camera rumoured
It looks like DJI and Insta360 are about to do battle again, with the companies having introduced rival action cameras this year already. To recap, Insta360 released the X5 first, which has gone on to receive multiple refreshes since April. Meanwhile, DJI then entered the 360° action camera fray with the Osmo 360 (curr. $412 on Amazon).
Around the same time, Insta360 announced its first drone under the nascent Antigravity brand. A consumer model, the Antigravity A1 is not due to be released until January 2026. In the meantime, rumours that DJI was preparing an alternative that could launch before the Antigravity A1 gets out the door surfaced online as far back as August.
More recently, the so-called Mini 360 was reframed as an Avata 2 successor called the Avata 360. Now, Igor Bogdanov has shared multiple images appearing to confirm 'Avata 360' as the drone's final retail name. Not only that, but the publication of said images indicates that DJI could be closer than expected to unveiling its first 360° drone, too.
On the face of it, the Avata 360 contains two camera sensors, the footage from which it can stitch together to create a 360° image. Bearing the semi-protected propellers of the Avata 2, the Avata 360 also has front-facing obstacle sensors aided by dual LiDAR sensors flanking the drone's camera housing.
Based on previous rumours, DJI is expected to bring across the camera hardware from the Osmo 360 with a three-axis gimbal on-hand to stabilise 8K and 360° video recordings. Apparently, DJI hopes to launch the Avata 360 for around CNY 5,000 (~$700) in China. However, it remains to be seen at this stage whether that pricing holds true for other markets.
Regardless, the Avata 360 is tipped to officially weigh less than 250 g. In other words, the drone should adhere to a C0 drone classification. Currently, there is every chance that we see the Avata 360 receive an official launch before the end of the year.
