The Antigravity A1 and DJI Mini 5 Pro represent two very different ideas of what a compact drone should be. One is the world’s first true 360-degree drone paired with VR-style goggles for an immersive flying experience. The other is a refined, conventional camera drone focused on image quality and professional results. In this comparison, we’ll break down how they differ in design, flying experience, camera performance, features, and value so you can decide which one fits your needs best.
Table of Contents
Design and Core Concept
The Antigravity A1 and DJI Mini 5 Pro appear quite similar. Both are ultra-compact, foldable drones with a single rear button, rear ports, and weights close to the 250-gram mark. The A1 comes in at 249 g, while the Mini 5 Pro is slightly heavier at 252 g, which may affect licensing requirements depending on your country.
The real difference becomes obvious at the front. The DJI Mini 5 Pro uses a traditional camera-and-gimbal setup. The Antigravity A1, however, features a dual-lens 360° camera one lens on top and one underneath. To protect the lower lens, the A1 uses retractable landing gear, and if a lens does get damaged, it can be replaced using a user-swappable lens kit.
This dual-camera setup allows the A1 to capture a full spherical image, making the drone effectively “disappear” from the shot. From a technology standpoint, it’s one of the most innovative consumer drones released this year.
Flying Experience
The DJI Mini 5 Pro delivers a familiar and reliable flying experience. It’s controlled with a traditional two-stick remote (RC2 or RC N3), making it intuitive for experienced pilots and ideal for precise cinematic maneuvers.
The Antigravity A1 takes a completely different approach. It’s controlled using Vision Goggles paired with a grip-style controller. The goggles provide a fully immersive 360° live view, allowing you to look freely in any direction during flight independent of where the drone is moving. The feeling is closer to paragliding or wingsuit flying than traditional drone piloting.
This experience is not FPV in the classic sense. The A1 is far easier to fly than an FPV drone, and the viewing direction does not dictate flight direction. This makes it accessible even to beginners, while still being incredibly engaging.
Controls and Ease of Use
The Mini 5 Pro uses standard dual-stick controls, offering precision and flexibility for manual maneuvers like orbits and tracking shots. With practice, pilots can achieve highly controlled, cinematic movements.
The A1’s grip controller works more like pointing and steering. You press a trigger to accelerate, tilt the controller to climb or descend, and aim a pointer toward where you want the drone to go. The A1 always flies forward and does not fly backward or sideways independently but since it records everything in 360°, this limitation is often irrelevant in practice.
Free Motion Mode focuses on simplicity and spatial navigation, while FPV Mode lets you fly more like a jet, prioritizing fun and immersion. There’s even a virtual cockpit mode that adds a playful, game-like overlay something younger users especially will enjoy.
While setup takes longer with the A1 (goggles, controller, and battery all need powering on), many first-time users will actually find its controls more intuitive than a standard drone remote.
Camera Systems
The DJI Mini 5 Pro uses a high-quality conventional camera with a 1-inch sensor, offering excellent dynamic range, strong low-light performance, and professional features like D-Log M for color grading. It can record true 4K video at up to 120 fps and even rotate the gimbal for vertical portrait shots.
The Antigravity A1 relies entirely on its dual-camera 360° system. All footage is captured as spherical video and reframed in post-production. This offers enormous creative freedom you can change angles, add camera movement, or fix imperfect framing after the flight. One single clip can produce multiple shots: forward, upward, downward, or sideways.
However, reframing is essentially a heavy crop. Even though the A1 records in 8K, the final reframed footage is closer to 2.7K resolution. There is no single-lens mode, so reframing is always required.
Image Quality Comparison
The Mini 5 Pro delivers cleaner, sharper footage with better dynamic range especially in low light. Its longer focal length creates less distortion and allows for tighter, more cinematic compositions. The optional 2× digital zoom is also very usable thanks to the high-resolution sensor.
The A1’s footage looks good, but its ultra-wide field of view introduces more distortion and is more sensitive to lens flares, especially when the sun is low. That said, the sense of speed and immersion is far stronger, making it excellent for action shots and experiential content.
In short, the Mini 5 Pro wins on pure image quality, while the A1 wins on creative flexibility.
Flight Performance and Specs
The DJI Mini 5 Pro offers up to 36 minutes of flight time, faster top speeds (up to 18 m/s), stronger wind resistance, and omnidirectional obstacle avoidance—even in low light.
The Antigravity A1 manages around 24 minutes with the standard battery, extendable to about 39 minutes with a high-capacity option. Obstacle avoidance is limited to the front and bottom, but this aligns with its forward-only flight design.
Both drones include internal storage: 42 GB on the Mini 5 Pro and 20 GB on the A1.
Apps and Editing Workflow
The DJI Fly app is excellent for quick edits, auto-edits, and flight control, but it’s not essential if you’re editing flat clips elsewhere.
The A1 shines when it comes to software. It includes both a smartphone app and a full-featured desktop app for reframing and editing, closely resembling the Insta360 ecosystem. For 360° content, these apps are powerful, intuitive, and packed with creative effects making them a major advantage of the A1.
Final Verdict: Which Drone Should You Choose?
Choose the Antigravity A1 if you want:
- A truly new and immersive flying experience
- Easy, intuitive controls even as a beginner
- Maximum creative freedom in post-production
- 360° video and VR-style playback
Choose the DJI Mini 5 Pro if you want:
- The best image quality in a compact drone
- Strong low-light and professional color grading options
- Precise manual control for cinematic shots
- A more affordable and conventional setup
Both drones are excellent but they serve very different types of creators. The A1 pushes innovation and fun, while the Mini 5 Pro perfects the art of cinematic aerial imaging.
Read More: Insta360 Antigravity A1 vs DJI Avata 2 – Incredible Comparison
