Ukraine has been fighting its war with Russia for over a decade and the ongoing conflict has spurred innovation through brutal necessity. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the country's adoption of drone warfare.

In 2023, Ukraine launched a state-backed defense cluster designed to sync up the needs of frontline soldiers with the country's tech industry. Part of that cluster involves an e-commerce platform called the Brave1 Market. Or, more commonly, "Amazon for drones".

Ukrainian soldiers can order equipment from tech manufacturers directly to their units by logging into a dashboard and spending their allocated military funding based on what they actually need. But here's where it gets interesting: units can earn digital currency (called e-points) for completing missions — whether that's reconnaissance, evacuation or neutralizing an enemy target. Different targets have different values attached and e-points can be redeemed in the marketplace for new kit.

The Ukrainian government changes these values as its priorities in the war shift. This point-scoring in turn incentivises soldiers to buy only the right equipment they need for the mission, which, in turn, creates competition and innovation among the manufacturers. Real-time intel, like telemetry or strike verification data, is also fed back to the manufacturers by the soldiers so they can patch software or refine their products to improve them.

According to Defense Daily, the Ukrainian model has been so successful that the U.S. Army wants to roll out its own version of Brave1 later this year.

Browsing the marketplace

Despite not being enlisted in the Ukrainian military myself, there is still a huge amount of the Brave1 marketplace open to the public. I spent a morning browsing the site and, while I can't buy myself a new reconnaissance drone, I can look at specs, features and prices.

There's a huge amount of equipment available to look at, from land-based transportation drones to tiny interceptors designed to take down much larger (and more expensive) Russian drones before they can hit their target.

You can even filter down by things like which type of camera you need (nighttime or thermal imaging), payload weight as well as range and engine type.

As well as drones, soldiers can order munitions, encrypted radios, targeting tools specialized payloads and combat robots from Brave1.

While regular folks like me can't buy from the marketplace, civilian engineers, garages, and tech startups can all register their hardware or software on Brave1. If Ukraine approves it, then they can sell directly to the military.

In a January article for the U.S. Naval Institute, Marine Corps Second Lieutenant Rob Rucki noted: "Today, innovation is not just a feature of a combat system; it is a principle of warfare to be exploited for advantage. To succeed requires developing processes that enable iteration and deployment of new technologies faster than adversaries. Nowhere has this been more apparent than on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, where the pace of innovation is driving the outcome of the fight.

"A similar innovation combat marketplace for the joint force would close the gap between frontline, company-level warfighters and private-sector producers."

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve spent over 900 hours testing all the best drones: here are my top picks
• The Potensic Atom 3 is a great beginner drone — but here’s why I think you should buy these DJI alternatives instead
• DJI announces new Lito drone, possibly the last one coming to the US

We're now into July, which means we've done six full months of testing here at Tom's Guide in 2026. From coffee machines, through to vacuums, gaming handhelds, laptops and phones — not only is it our job to put tech through its paces, it's what our journalists, editors and contributors love to do.

I'm Pete, Senior Reviews Editor here at Tom's Guide, and I head up our reviews coverage on site. My team of dedicated reviews writers alone have lab tested and reviewed hundreds of products already this year, with the wider Tom's Guide editorial team having testing dozens more. If you've not had your finger precisely on the pulse of the latest tech this year, well, I don't blame you — it's hard to keep tabs on everything. That's why we exist.

To help, I've gathered the Tom's Guide team's favorite products from 2026 so far. Obviously, I can't fit everything into a single article, so I asked our subject experts across the site to give me their top picks, too. I've also curated the top five highest scorers, which stand above the rest. Every product on here has been tested by us, hands-on, as part of a full, extensive review.

Read on to see the tech Tom's Guide loved in the first half of 2026.

Tom's Guide's Top 5

Every product on this list has scored at least four stars, earning our TG Recommended or Editor's Choice badges. But there are five products on this list that scored our full five stars after testing. These are the best of the best so far this year. To save you some time, here are the links to our reviews.

• DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review ★★★★★
• 007 First Light review ★★★★★
• KitchenAid Artisan Plus review ★★★★★
• Gozney Dome XL Gen 2 review ★★★★★
• Samsung S95H OLED review ★★★★★

Keep reading to see the rest of our top tested picks for 2026.

AI

Rokid Glasses

After 5,000 miles in the Rokids, we were seriously impressed
Score: ★★★★☆

The best smart glasses without a display are cool and all, but their features are usually rather limited to just asking questions about what you see. The Rokid Glasses proved to me that adding a screen turns that superpower into an ambient computing platform — offering features only when you need them and disappearing into the background in some stylish specs.

With that display, you get real-time conversation translation with text subtitles so you’re not having to try to listen to your smart glasses talk over the person in front of you. And the multi-modality unlocked by asking a question and just getting answers you can see makes them much more subtle. Not to say they’re perfect — the camera quality for snapping pictures suffers in low light and some features are very China-specific (like Alipay). But arm these with Google Gemini in setup, and they’re a genuinely helpful companion on your face for a decent price.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Rokid Glasses review

Cameras & drones

GoPro Mission 1 Pro

GoPro's return to form in the action camera game
Score: ★★★★½

After years essentially re-releasing the same Hero cameras with minor tweaks, GoPro has finally pushed itself. The Mission 1 Pro is pricey, but it’s the first GoPro I’ve been excited about in a while. It seriously impressed me with its powerful and versatile video credentials in testing, namely open gate 8K and a wealth of shooting features that make it ideal for its target market: professionals. Thanks to revised processor architecture and a shiny new battery, I managed to extract unparalleled battery life and thermals versus other action cameras in my standardized battery tests. GoPro is back!

Pete Wolinski, Senior Reviews & Cameras Editor
Read Pete’s full GoPro Mission 1 Pro review

DJI Osmo Pocket 4

The best all-around tool for content creation
Score: ★★★★★

I awarded the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 our full five stars in my review, and that’s because I literally couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Aside from the fact that it’s not available in America (yet?) due to tariffs and DJI’s ongoing feud with the U.S. government. The Osmo Pocket 4 improved on its predecessor in every single way that mattered: video, stabilization, storage, thermals, battery life, and more. If you’re after a single tool for professional-looking content creation, I really can’t think of anything better to recommend.

Pete Wolinski, Senior Reviews & Cameras Editor
Read Pete’s full DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review

DJI Avata 360

Although a little late to the 360 party, DJI absolutely smashed it
Score: ★★★★½

The DJI Avata 360 does exactly what you want a drone to do: make flying fun. It stakes its claim as the best 360° drone around (granted, there are only two at the time of writing, but still!) and its twin lenses capture every single angle in 8K at 60fps. 120MP hi-res stills, user-friendly editing software, and exceptional build quality make it the drone to buy today. It also undercuts its main competitor, the Antigravity A1, and with dual ways to fly (FPV and with a standard controller), the Avata 360 is versatile and oh-so-powerful. Every day I still think about it — and as someone who’s tested many, many quadcopters, that’s saying a lot.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full DJI Avata 360 review

Computing & gaming

MacBook Neo

Our favorite budget laptop, literally ever
Score: ★★★★½

Value for money in laptops has become a bit of a running joke this year (thanks, RAMageddon). But of all the companies building notebooks, I didn’t anticipate it would be Apple to deliver the goods and give you an honest-to-god well-priced system. Yes, there’s been a $100 increase recently, but even with that, the premium aluminum build quality, great display, tactile keyboard and zippy performance of that A18 Pro makes for a great system for the day-to-day essentials.

I must admit, to see Apple actually having fun with colors in its MacBooks is a refreshing change from the blacks and silvers of its more expensive lineage. All of this comes together into a laptop that has terrified the budget Windows laptop market, and the best ultra portable we’ve tested this year.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read our full MacBook Neo review

Asus Zenbook Duo (2026)

Dual OLED panels = chef's kiss
Score: ★★★★½

Yes, this is a dual-screen OLED beauty of a premium laptop; Asus has really paid attention to the design and ergonomics of a system like this. But the real superpower is what lies inside that shell. Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (codenamed Panther Lake) has been a truly generational moment for Team Blue in its Windows laptops, and it comes down to huge updates to both the performance and power efficiency.

Those new CPU cores and efficiency architecture they’re built onto gives this a gargantuan battery life that would make a MacBook blush, while the superpowered GPU (alongside XeSS 3) gives this some serious gaming laptop chops too. Usually, you had to be considerate of just what you wanted to do with your Windows laptop and decide on the strengths and compromises around that. With anything that sports an X9 chip like this, though, that’s no longer a compromise you have to make.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) review

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+

A true next-gen gaming handheld
Score: ★★★★☆

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ delivers the performance jump I’ve been waiting years for. With Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme chip, games are pulling a 20 to 30+ FPS advantage over AMD Z2 Extreme handhelds. Battery life gets a big boost too. I could hit the same performance as the Z2 Extreme at half the power consumption. Combine that with its major redesign bringing more Xbox-like controls, better haptics, and its large 8-inch 16:10 display, and you’re getting, in my opinion, one of the best handheld gaming consoles of 2026.

Paul Antill, Video Producer
Read our full MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review

007 First Light

Forget GoldenEye: this is the best Bond game ever
Score: ★★★★★

Gamers are being treated to a licensed games renaissance right now. The days of cheap cash-ins launched to coincide with a new blockbuster movie are over. But even in this golden era for video games based on popular media franchises, 007 First Light surpasses expectations.

Forget GoldenEye, First Light is the best James Bond game ever. With its ludicrously cinematic gameplay, compelling narrative that focuses on a younger Bond (played by Patrick Gibson), and deep commitment to authenticity, 007 First Light is easily the best thing to come out of this long-running spy series in 20 years, movies included. There’s a reason it was only the second video game I’ve given the full five stars. Whether you’re a longtime Bond fan or a newcomer, 007 First Light is quite simply unmissable.

Rory Mellon, Senior Entertainment Editor
Read Rory's full 007 First Light review

Epomaker Glyph

Nikita's dream keyboard
Score: ★★★★½

I’ve tested close to 100 keyboards in my time as a reviews writer, and it isn’t often that I get to proclaim, “I’ve found my dream keyboard.” Ever since I tested the Epomaker Glyph, it hasn’t left my desk, and it’s my daily driver when I’m at the office. Typewriter-like aesthetics, a return lever that acts as an Enter or Backspace key, beautiful RGB lighting, a creamy sound profile, and a typing experience that’s nothing short of stunning — all of these characteristics come together to deliver what’s probably the best mechanical keyboard I’ve used for typing. I’m a speed demon when I’m bashing out 109 words per minute of this thing.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full Epomaker Glyph review

(A note from Nikita's editor, Pete: "I can confirm, the Glyph genuinely hasn't left her desk!")

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36

Pro performance for under $1,000
Score: ★★★★½

It’s no secret that MSI knows how to make a great gaming monitor, and its MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is one of the most beautiful displays I’ve ever tested. Blistering 360Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time for buttery smooth gameplay? Check. Ridiculously accurate colors and wide color coverage? Yep. AI sleep and wake features that are actually useful and not just a gimmick? Oh yeah. And all of this is packed into a sleek design with plenty of ports. Not much to complain about here, really.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 review

Viture Beast AR glasses

Beast by name, beast by nature
Score: ★★★★½

I’ve traveled the world testing all of this year’s biggest AR glasses releases, and Viture Beast stands head and shoulders above the pack as the best I’ve used this year (so far). There’s three reasons why: picture quality, comfort and features. Viture’s color science and fidelity really shines in those micro-OLED displays with a massive 58-degree field of view. There’s a little edge fringing on the sides, but given the massive vision field, it’s unlikely you’ll notice it. And this is packed into a nice-feeling pair of glasses with a soft-touch coating that sits gently on your ears with optimal weight balance. Cap it all off with plenty of customization built in, plus the SpaceWalker app for multi-monitor home office setups, and the Beast are…well…pretty beastly for work and play.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Viture Beast review

Fitness

Fitbit Air

The best Whoop alternative, and subscription-free
Score: ★★★★☆

The Fitbit Air is my fitness tracker of the year so far. Discreet and distraction-free (no screen), this is a fitness tracker that's easy to use, lightweight, and oh-so-comfortable. Just $99 and subscription-free for core features, it offers a week of battery life and covers all the holistic metrics you'd expect from a modern device, like heart health, sleep quality, daily movement, and workouts. For most people, this is the best screen-free fitness tracker you can buy, and the new Google Health companion app makes viewing all your health data a dream.

Jane McGuire, Managing Editor, Fitness
Read our full Fitbit Air review

Salomon XT-6

Hike, shop or relax in comfort and style
Score: ★★★★½

The Salomon XT-6 shoes have become a staple in my closet. Whether I’m heading to the store or hitting up a challenging trail on the weekend, I know I’ll be supported. I wore these hiking sneakers on a city break, where I clocked over 93,000 steps and didn’t have a single complaint. Not only that, the multidirectional lugs kept me stable on even the trickiest terrain, as I hiked in mud, over rocks, and through water.

On top of their technical ability, the XT-6s are a fashion statement, worn all over New York by fashion-forward celebs; these shoes have earned a coveted spot in my daily rotation — although you’ll find me cleaning the mud off them after each adventure.

Ashley Thieme, Staff Writer
Read Ashley’s full Salomon XT-6 review

Homes

Dyson V16 Piston Animal Cordless

A powerful cordless Dyson that's perfect for pet owners
Score: ★★★★☆

I’ve tested my fair share of Dyson vacuum cleaners in my time, but I must say that the V16 combines all of my favorite features in one cleaner. First, its upgraded ‘Fluffy Cones’ head is designed to be used on both carpets and hard flooring without the need to swap over attachments. This is a great time-saver, and lets me quickly zip around my home without pausing. Perhaps my favorite feature is the dust-detecting green light which reveals those hidden dustballs lurking underneath furniture and in corners. Plus, it’s lightweight and easy to store, which is why it’s now my go-to for daily maintenance, and why I awarded our Editor’s Choice badge.

Cynthia Lawrence, Homes Editor
Read Cynthia’s full Dyson V16 Piston Animal Cordless review

KitchenAid Artisan Plus

The latest version of KitchenAid's legendary mixer, and the best one yet
Score: ★★★★★

I got to test KitchenAid’s newest stand mixer, the Artisan Plus, and it’s even better than I imagined. I’d been happily using KitchenAid’s Artisan stand mixer as my go-to appliance for a good few years, and I really didn’t see how it could be improved, but it has. It may only seem like a few tweaks, but they have made a big difference. From the sliding speed control that just glides, to the in-bowl light, which illuminates the mix — and let's not forget the double-edge flex beater that cleans the bowl as it sweeps past— I loved it so much during testing that I gave it a 5-star rating.

Camilla Sharman, Staff Writer
Read Camilla’s full KitchenAid Artisan Plus review

Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2)

The undisputed king of pizza ovens
Score: ★★★★★

If you’re a dedicated — and I mean dedicated — at-home pizza maker, the Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) is the closest you’ll come to actually building a pizza oven from scratch. It can run on either gas, wood, or charcoal, has dual temperature probes, and is big enough to fit a 16-inch pie with room to spare. I loved its easy-to-ready displays, and the design of the oven is just gorgeous, too. Yes, it’s huge and it’s expensive (I’ve made equally good pizzas in much cheaper ovens), but this is the oven that’ll signal you’re the real pizzaiolo in your neighborhood.

Mike Prospero, U.S. Editor-in-chief
Read Mike’s full Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) review

Fellow Espresso Series 1

Beginners or pros, coffee snobs or otherwise — this one is for everyone
Score: ★★★★½

When Fellow designed the Espresso Series 1, it looked at the other espresso machines out there and thought, “I’m going to do something different.” And different the Espresso Series 1 is. When I tested this machine, I loved that it provided coffee-snob-approved features while still being usable for complete beginners. On top of having a litany of customization options on the machine itself, I loved having the app, which walked me through how to make every type of coffee ever invented. You may think this is too ambitious, but for me, the Espresso Series 1 hits all its marks and comes out victorious.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full Fellow Espresso Series 1 review

Phones

Apple iPhone 17

A surprisingly solid update over the previous generation
Score: ★★★★½

Apple launched more new phones than in any previous year, but the iPhone 17 remains my favorite for several reasons. One thing that makes it stand out is that it finally got a long-overdue upgrade to a 120Hz refresh rate, making its screen look even more fluid than before in testing. On top of that, I really love how it didn’t get a price hike and still managed to get double the starting storage.

John Velasco, Senior Phones Editor
Read John's full iPhone 17 review

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The phone that'll get better over time
Score: ★★★★½

When it comes to Android phones, nothing caught my eye more than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung’s flagship received all the iterative updates it deserved, but one particular new feature stood out most: the Privacy Display. It works like magic, making the screen look dark when someone tries to peek at it from the side. You can even customize it to block out specific parts of the display — like when you’re messaging someone. This exclusive feature is what sets it apart from everything else.

John Velasco, Senior Phones Editor
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

Sleep

Saatva Zenhaven Mattress

What you should be sleeping on in 2026
Score: ★★★★½

The Saatva Zenhaven latex mattress blew our socks off during testing, thanks to its naturally cooling and supportive sleep feel for eco-conscious shoppers. Handcrafted in the US from (mostly) organic materials, the Zenhaven boasts a flippable design with a different tension on each side: Luxury Plush and Gentle Firm. We appreciated how one side boasted more cushioning for side sleepers, while the unyielding feel of the firmer side best-suited back and stomach sleepers. At $3,549 at full MSRP it’s a splurge, but cheaper during Saatva mattress sales. However, it’s worth noting that latex mattresses can last up to 20 years, so we think it’s worth the investment.

Nicola Appleton, Sleep Editor
Read our full Saatva Zenhaven Mattress review

Fitnexa SomniPods 3

If you struggle sleeping, these earbuds are for you
Score: ★★★★☆

The Fitnexa SomniPods 3 are compact sleep earbuds that helped me sleep better in even the most disruptive environments (like my neighbor's son playing basketball at unsociable hours). Fitted with built-in white noise, excellent active noise cancelation, plus sleep tracking features, they’re an easy recommendation for any troubled sleepers. But the real stand-out feature for me is the Fitnexa app. Here, your own AI coach waits for you, ready to provide personalized advice based on your sleep tracking data, activity logs and food diaries. The info isn’t quite on par with a qualified sleep professional but thanks to the wealth of data to draw from, it was pretty spot on in testing, helping take the SomniPods from sleep earbud to all-round sleep enhancer.

Ruth Jones, Senior Sleep Writer
Read Ruth's full Fitnexa SomniPods 3 review

Smart home & security

Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+

A fantastic way to improve security on a budget
Score: ★★★★☆

Blink has long been one of our favorite budget smart home brands, and its newest battery-powered video doorbell furthers its reputation as a value leader. The Battery Doorbell 2K+ delivered very good 2K video in our testing — not the tops, but for a sub-$100 device it was more than acceptable. And, while it runs on AA batteries, they’ll last up to two years on a charge. You can also use this video doorbell without a subscription (you’ll need to purchase a separate adapter), but Blink’s subscription price is relatively affordable.

Mike Prospero, U.S. Editor-in-chief
Read our full Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ review

TV & Audio

Samsung S95H OLED

Supreme picture quality, even in bright rooms
Score: ★★★★★

I’ve tested countless TVs, but the Samsung S95H is the first unit in several years that truly surpassed all my expectations. It completely shatters the familiar rules of OLED, obliterating ambient glare and delivering an unprecedented, jaw-dropping brightness in the self-emissive category. Even the floating metal bezel (a design choice I fully assumed I'd hate) adds a striking, premium presence I grew to love. Between its breathtaking performance and how seamlessly it transitions into a decor piece via Samsung Art Store support, this is a flagship that stands as a definitive standard-bearer.

Kate Kozuch, Managing Editor
Read Kate's full Samsung S95H OLED review

AirPods Max 2

Everything is dialed up to 11
Score: ★★★★½

It’s impossible to be a tech lover and not have strong opinions about Apple’s new AirPods Max 2. Some people love them, some people hate them, but I’m firmly in the first camp. The AirPods Max 2 are headphones that know what they’re about, and they’re not apologizing for it. With gorgeous anodized aluminum ear cups and an all-metal headband, they’re not the lightest cans in the world, but the sound more than makes up for it.

Every detail is clear, mids are melodic and vivacious, and the bass is balanced, rich, and warm. Of course, you’ve also got industry-leading smart tech features like Live Translation and integrated Siri, but Apple users looking for the best headphones need look no further than Apple’s own.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full Apple AirPods Max 2 review

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO

Open earbuds that make no sacrifices
Score: ★★★★½

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO have completely changed the way I think about open-earbuds (and I’ve tested a lot). Up until testing the ZEROs, I’d accepted that if I wanted ambient awareness, comfort and stability while working out, I’d need to sacrifice sound quality — but they prove that’s not the case. They provided me with the detailed listening experience I love from Beyerdynamic’s other headphones, without compromising bass performance, delivering perfectly balanced sound. I wear them when I’m working, running, or hiking in the rain (thanks to IP54 durability). They’re the only open earbuds I’ve tested with no compromises.

Ashley Thieme, Staff Writer
Read Ashley’s full Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review

JBL Xtreme 5

The party speaker for summer 2026
Score: ★★★★½

The JBL Xtreme 5 came, it saw, and it conquered. JBL really understood the assignment with the surprise follow-up to 2024’s Xtreme 4. Everything about the Xtreme 5 oozes confidence: the deft, controlled bass that’ll have your floorboards shaking and your bones quaking; the literally unbeatable IP68 rating that protects it against rain, sand, and drops; the gorpcore, utilitarian design; and of course the rugged 24-hour battery life. This is the party speaker of 2026. I’ve tested hundreds of audio products and Bluetooth speakers, but the Xtreme 5 is a special one.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full JBL Xtreme 5 review

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The best drones are continuously improving their range or camera quality, but something that really hasn't changed is their fear of deep water. If your drone loses connection, runs out of battery, or just falls out of the air, that machine isn't flying another day. But what if a drone could plunge into the water, float, and fly away without skipping a beat?

The HoverAir Aqua might have solved that. This specialized, IP67-rated drone features built-in foam prop guards that double as its personal flotation device. It is designed to take off and land directly from the water, removing the usual terror of flying over lakes, ponds and pools. I took the drone along on a recent family beach vacation to the Outer Banks (OBX), North Carolina, to see if its wet-and-wild innovations translate into a practical everyday flyer or if it's just a gimmick.

HoverAir Aqua review: Price and availability

Innovation doesn’t come cheap. The HoverAir Aqua starts at a relatively steep $1,299 for the Standard Combo. For this review, I tested the Fly More Combo, which retails for $1,499. This kit steps things up by adding two extra smart batteries (three total), a multi-battery charging hub, three waterproof battery bags, and the wearable Lighthouse tracker beacon.

If you want a better manual control experience, you should to step all the way up to the $1,699 Land and Sea Combo which adds HoverAir's dedicated joystick remote controller to the mix alongside the touchscreen beacon.

For perspective, one of my favorite drones, the DJI Mini 5 Pro, starts at just $709. Even with its premium Fly More Combo featuring the integrated screen remote, it maxes that'll set $1,009. That model comes with a larger 1-inch sensor, a 3-axis gimbal, and omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. With the Aqua, you are paying a massive premium specifically for its ruggedized, buoyant engineering and making a few trade offs in return. Here's what stood out to me.

HoverAir Aqua review: What I like

Safely fly over water

Hands down, the best thing about the HoverAir Aqua is its buoyancy. The drone's built-in prop guards look and act like mini pool noodles, allowing it to float effortlessly on the surface of calm water. On the beaches of OBX, this completely changed how I flew. Instead of the usual anxious thoughts in the back of my head, I knew worst case, so long as I was flying relatively close to the coast, this drone would be safe.

Even cooler is its self-righting mechanism. If a splash or a bad wave knocks the drone upside down on the water, it can flip itself right-side up and take off again. This was huge crowd-pleasing party trick during our afternoons by the pool. My younger nieces and nephews, and even my aunts and uncles absolutely got a kick when I showed this off.

This offers incredible peace of mind if you are regularly flying over water and makes it a fantastic tool for people filming water sports like surfing or jet-skiing. Just keep a caveat in mind: limit your water landings to no-current zones. If you try it in a heavy rip current, the drone might just wash away before you can spin the props and safely take off.

Easy to operate

There are several ways to fly and operate the Aqua. On top of the drone sits a bright, built-in 1.6-inch AMOLED screen that handles setting changes and flight mode selections directly on the aircraft, complete with clear auditory cues.

With the wearable Lighthouse beacon that you strap to your arm, you can perform basic manual flight movements and command a Return-to-Home. This will also provide tracking (thanks to its centimeter-level RTK tracking technology) and be able to follow you as you move around. This specialized RTK tech creates a highly precise virtual tether, ensuring the camera stays locked on your position even if water spray or waves temporarily block the camera's line of sight.

You can also connect directly via Wi-Fi with your phone, see a live view from the camera, and fly with the touch screen controls. The range is shockingly steady and long. It's great when I'm packing light and want to use this as a more traditional drone for cinematic shots from land, but it is hard to be precise with a touch screen. For those more precise controls, there's the traditional joystick controller option included in the Land and Sea Combo. This modular system snaps on both sides of your phone and gives you physical joysticks for when you need to nail more complex shots.

Built in prop guards

The foam noodles pull double duty as full-coverage prop guards. It makes the Aqua feel incredibly safe to fly close to people, objects, or tight spaces, similar to the built-in guards on the DJI Neo or DJI Flip. This bumper system gave me the confidence to pull off one of my favorite drone shots to date.

I lined up the Aqua and flew it straight through the open side-split doors of my new-to-me parked Honda Element, revealing the beautiful Shenandoah mountainside hidden right behind it. If I tried that with a standard exposed-prop drone, a tiny drift would mean shattered plastic and a ruined car headliner.

HoverAir Aqua review: What I didn't like

It sounds like a swarm of angry bees

If you are looking for a stealthy drone that can quietly capture cinematic landscapes, look elsewhere. Because of its smaller props, the HoverAir Aqua is incredibly loud. Compared to the relatively quiet flight profile of the newer DJI Mavic Minis, the Aqua emits a high-pitched, buzzy whirr. Whether I was flying it by the beach, near the pool, or at a local park, it instantly drew a ton of unwanted attention because it sounds exactly like a massive swarm of angry bees at lower altitudes.

Limited obstacle avoidance

Because the Aqua is primarily designed for wide-open water flight, obstacle avoidance sensors are limited to downward only. It relies on its camera system and the tracking beacon to follow you, but is limited in what it can recognize and avoid in its path. It did a very good job at following me as I ran across the open beach.

Putting it to the test, I attempted to have the drone autonomously follow me as I walked from our beach house down to the sand along a relatively narrow walkway. The Aqua did well until I walked past the gazebo to my left where it quickly collided and fell down. Thankfully, this thing is quite rugged and foam helped absorb its fall, but it proved that this drone is best for wide-open, obstacle-free spaces.

Shorter battery life

The Aqua is rated for up to 23 minutes of flight time. Once I factored in the time it takes to launch, flew out to my desired position, framed my shot, and safely head back with a comfortable battery reserve, I was realistically averaging only 15 to 18 minutes of actual flight time per battery.

While that was plenty of juice for me to get a few solid shots, it feels short because I have been completely spoiled by DJI. If you look at other standard sub-249g drones on the market, like the DJI Mini 4 Pro, I can routinely push past 30 minutes of real-world flight time on a single charge. The Aqua’s shorter endurance is the obvious tax you pay for its waterproofing and the extra aerodynamic drag of those foam pool noodles. The thing is, while you could increased flight time with extra batteries, you'll want to make sure you swap out after drying the drone off thoroughly so that you don't get water in the battery compartment.

HoverAir Aqua review: the bottom line

The HoverAir Aqua is easily one of the most unique, specialized drones on the market and one of the most exciting I've tested in a long time, solving a very specific problem: making aerial photography safe and accessible over water.

That said, if you don't actually need these waterproof capabilities, the higher price tag, the deafening flight noise, and the total lack of directional obstacle avoidance are major tradeoffs you'll need to weigh.

But if your primary goal is to find a drone that can effortlessly survive a splash, take off from a lake, or safely film water activities, there is absolutely nothing else like it. It is a rugged, buoyant, and genuinely grin-inducing piece of tech that brought a massive amount of fun to our family vacation. If you're big into water sports or spend your summers by the beach, the Aqua is worth the plunge.

My job is very cool. I get to test the best drones which means that not only do I get to spend time in the great outdoors, but I also get to capture some incredible shots from a bird’s-eye view. You’re spoilt for choice these days as there are some incredible quadcopters available — for every budget.

DJI is, naturally, the first name that comes to mind when you hear the word “drone.” But DJI’s drones have been facing lots of scrutiny due to the ongoing ban on its quadcopters. But DJI isn’t the only drone manufacturer out there — just take a look at Potensic. I’ve recently finished testing the Potensic Atom 3, a drone that hopes to go toe-to-toe with the DJI Lito X1, and it's excellent for beginners.

The Atom 3 improves on its predecessor, the Atom 2, by introducing 4K/60fps video and 50MP RAW output, making it great for color grading and flexibility in post-production. I awarded it 4-stars in my Atom 3 review, and while I think it’s a capable quadcopter, I’m not convinced it’s the best beginner drone right now… and I’d still spend on DJI.

What’s good about the Potensic Atom 3?

Good things first. The Potensic Atom 3 features a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, which is larger than the 1/2-inch sensor on the Atom 2. While the Atom 2 could shoot 4K video at 30fps, the Atom 3 can do the same at 60fps, which means that motion doesn’t look as jarring anymore. And for the first time on a Potensic drone, the Atom 3 can output 50MP RAW images.

The Atom 3 also introduces the new RC PTD2 controller, so you don’t need to rely on using your smartphone as a screen anymore. The controller’s 5.5-inch touchscreen is bright at 900 nits and is easy to view and read in even direct sunlight. Flight distance has been upped from 6.21 miles on the Atom 2 to 9.94 miles on the Atom 3, too.

Lastly, the Atom 3 boasts class-leading battery life. Using the Smart Battery, you can fly for 40 minutes, and this jumps to 50 minutes when using the Smart Battery Plus. The parallel charging hub is capable of charging all three batteries at the same time, and it now comes with a USB-C port instead of a proprietary one (like on the Atom 2).

What’s not so great?

You can probably tell by now that I really like the Potensic Atom 3 — after all, I awarded it 4-stars. But the thing is, it could have very easily been a 4.5-star product… if it weren’t for its fairly significant drawbacks. My biggest gripe with the Atom 3 is its lack of obstacle avoidance. This means that the drone can’t automatically avoid obstacles in its way.

I wouldn’t have marked the Atom 3 down for its lack of collision avoidance if it wasn’t for its direct competitors featuring it. The similarly priced DJI Flip ($439) features front-facing obstacle avoidance. Now, this isn’t as good as omnidirectional avoidance, but it is something, and it gives the Flip a leg-up over the Atom 3. The DJI Lito X1 (£369), on the other hand, does feature omnidirectional collision sensors — but unfortunately, it isn’t available in the U.S. at the time of writing.

My other primary issue with the Atom 3 is its poor low-light performance. Even though it features a 1/1.3-inch sensor, its aperture has been narrowed to f/2.8 from f/1.8 on the Atom 2, and it struggles in dimly lit environments. You’ll find the full explanation in my Atom 3 review but to sum it up: the Atom 3’s AI Night Mode, which is a big part of its advertisements, is simply not good enough. It overexposes the video so the “AI processed” video ends up looking a little fake. It drops the frame rate down to 25fps too, resulting in a fair amount of motion blur.

And of course, because there’s no obstacle avoidance, I wouldn’t recommend flying in low-light environments anyway, because visibility is already extremely low, and you may not always be able to maintain visual line of sight (VLOS).

What I’d buy instead

If you’re okay with the lack of obstacle avoidance and poor low-light performance, then by all means, get the Potensic Atom 3. Everything else it offers is excellent and the drone doesn’t give you much else to complain about.

But if those are deal-breakers for you, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the DJI drones with better features I’d buy instead — and most of them are still available in the U.S.!

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve spent two weeks testing the new Potensic Atom 3 — and this DJI alternative is one of the best beginner drones you can buy today
• The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is already getting an update — I spent 3 days with the Osmo Pocket 4P in Malta and here's what I'm allowed to tell you (with sample footage!)
• The best drones in 2026

Good becomes great, great becomes outstanding: this seems to be the trajectory Potensic is currently on. The Potensic Atom 3 retains its predecessor’s lightweight body but is built better and feels more robust. The Atom 2 is now capable of recording 4K video at 60fps and outputting RAW 50MP stills, all the while ensuring everything remains smooth and stable, thanks to its three-axis gimbal.

Accompanied by great AI subject tracking and class-leading flight time of up to 50 minutes, the Atom 3 feels like a competent and powerful content creation tool. The new RC PTD2 controller makes flying a walk in the park, too. But it isn’t perfect. It doesn’t feature any obstacle avoidance, and low-light performance in AI Night Mode can be described as mediocre at best.

To find out if this is the best drone for you, read my full Potensic Atom 3 review.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Specs

Potensic Atom 3 review: Price & availability

The Potensic Atom 3 is the fourth drone to join the Chinese brand’s growing lineup of quadcopters. Announced in June 2026, it succeeds the Potensic Atom 2 and receives a $100 price bump, retailing for $429 / £339 at Amazon.

Unfortunately, the Atom 3 is the latest victim of the ongoing ban on foreign-made drones in the U.S. It isn’t available to purchase officially through Potensic’s website, and, at the time of writing, there’s no news on whether it will receive F.C.C. clearance. You can, however, buy it through Amazon and other third-party sellers. We’ve also seen this happen with DJI’s latest drones, like the DJI Neo 2 ($319) which can’t be bought officially through the manufacturer but can be through third-party retailers.

But because Potensic hasn’t been cleared to support the Atom 3 in the U.S., you can’t get aftercare packages or repairs should your drone get damaged. I’ve reached out to Potensic’s marketing team to find out about U.S. availability and will update this review as and when I know more.

The Atom 3 is a strong alternative to the DJI Lito X1 (£369) as it boasts similar specs packaged into a sub-249g body. Other competitors include the DJI Flip ($439) which also features a 1/1.3-inch sensor, and the DJI Mini 4K ($299) but this drone is over two years old, making the Atom 3 the more up-to-date option.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Design

If you put the Potensic Atom 3 and the Potensic Atom 2 side-by-side, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two — at first glance, that is. Look closer and the differences become obvious. The Atom 3 is slightly bigger, measuring 9.29 x 6.61 x 2.48 inches when unfolded and without propellers, and it’s ever-so slightly heavier too. The Atom 3 weighs 8.78oz as opposed to its predecessor weighing 8.64oz. Its light weight means you don’t necessarily need to register it with F.C.C. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K.

Potensic has made some small but substantial improvements to the design too. The Atom 3 feels more robust and like it’s built much better than the Atom 2. It doesn’t feel too plasticky, and it’s noticeably nicer to touch. In addition to that, the Atom 3’s propellers are larger than the Atom 2’s, which means the drone can push more air, resulting in more efficient operation.

The ports on the Atom 3 also feel more accessible. On the Atom 2, the battery eject button, annoyingly, covered the microSD card slot, so you had to remove the battery to then remove the microSD card. Not anymore. On the Atom 3, the USB-C port for charging and data transfer, and the microSD card slot sit side-by-side, unobstructed, giving you easy access to both.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Controls

The Potensic Atom 3 hosts just one button on its body: the power button, and it’s much better than the one on the Atom 2. The Atom 2 needed to be powered on and off by pressing the button on the drone’s underside. This meant that you needed to turn it on and then set it on the takeoff surface. On the Atom 3, the button is now located on the top which saves you a few seconds.

Alongside the Atom 3, Potensic has also unveiled its new controller: the RC PTD2. While you can still get the old controller which requires you to slot in your smartphone and use said phone as the controller’s screen, I’d recommend grabbing the RC PTD2 controller instead.

The RC PTD2 is sturdier and better built, and its 5.5-inch FHD touchscreen with 900 nits of brightness make flying more immersive and much easier. I’ve found the touchscreen extremely responsive in my testing, and I also like how bright it gets. I haven’t had any issues viewing it in direct sunlight and low-light environments.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Features

The Potensic Atom 3 has received meaningful updates to its sensor, making it one of the best beginner drones you can buy today. The drone has a maximum flight distance of 9.94 miles — up from 6.21 miles on the Atom 2. It also has a maximum takeoff altitude of 5,000m which is up from 4,000m on the Atom 2.

It’s important to note, though, that the Atom 3 doesn’t feature any built-in storage, just like its predecessor. This is disappointing given that the DJI Lito X1 boasts 42GB of internal storage, acting as a safety net if you forget to carry a microSD card with you. Potensic recommends using a V30 (or higher) microSD card with the Atom 3, like the Lexar E-Series 128GB (two for $64).

Sensor

One of the key differences between the Atom 3 and the Atom 2 is the sensor. The Atom 3 features a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor, as opposed to the Atom 2’s 1/2-inch CMOS sensor. It’s the same sensor you’ll find on the DJI Flip. It’s smaller than the 1-inch sensor on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (£689) but this drone also costs a lot more.

The aperture, however, has narrowed from f/1.8 on the Atom 2 to f/2.8 on the Atom 3 which, in theory, could mean a detrimental impact on low-light performance, and I’ll discuss this in detail shortly.

Improvements have been made to the maximum shutter speed, as the Atom 3 can be manually adjusted to shoot at 1/25,000s, as opposed to just 1/6,400s on the Atom 2. You can now capture blur-free footage when tracking fast-moving subjects, like cars or motorbikes.

Wind resistance

The Atom 3 retains its predecessor’s three-axis brushless gimbal design which helps the drone capture stable and smooth footage, even in mildly windy conditions. A three-axis gimbal is better than a two-axis one (like on the DJI Neo 2) and far more stable than a single-axis one (like on the OG DJI Neo).

Wind resistance remains the same across Potensic’s Atom lineup. The Atom 3 can withstand winds up to 10.7 m/s or 23.9mph (level 5). This is common in this price range, as it’s the same wind resistance you’ll find on the DJI Flip and the DJI Mini 4 Pro. If you want even better resistance, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is rated at 12 m/s or 26.84mph.

I mostly filmed on windless days as the U.K., where I’m based, was experiencing a heatwave during testing, but I was greeted to a few strong gusts every now and then. The Atom 3 remained stable throughout, and I even noticed that its heftier weight made it more resistant to getting knocked about.

Obstacle avoidance

Potensic still hasn’t fixed my biggest grievance with the Atom 2: the lack of obstacle avoidance. The Atom 3 doesn’t feature any form of collision avoidance which means you have to rely on your eyes and the controller’s screen to ensure the drone doesn’t run into anything.

While this wasn’t abnormal for the Atom 2’s price range, it’s disappointing given that the Atom 3 costs more. Even though the DJI Flip doesn’t feature omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, it at least features forward-facing avoidance, giving you some reassurance. The DJI Lito X1 takes things further with omnidirectional obstacle sensing. Heck, even the cheaper DJI Neo 2 has omnidirectional avoidance! What gives, Potensic?

Potensic Atom 3 review: Video quality

The Potensic Atom 3 doesn’t give you much to complain about when it comes to video work. It's capable of recording 4K video at 60fps (up from 30fps on the Atom 2). You also have the option to shoot in FHD at 60fps or 2.7K video (at 60fps again) in the 9x16 format for social media. In the video above, you can see a compilation of clips shot in 4K at 60fps. The movement is smooth and stable, even when I’m panning, and the colors look lovely. Greens are vivid while the blue sky appears rich.

Similar to the Atom 2, the Atom 3 can shoot in P-Log too, which preserves flat, raw footage for increased dynamic range, although you’ll need to grade the footage in post.. You can see what the unedited footage looks like in the video above.

The Atom 3 utilizes AI Tracking 2.0 to power its QuickShot short-form modes, such as follow, rocket, spiral, parallel tracking, and more. These modes use AI subject detection to lock onto a subject, and they work very well. They’re especially fun when you’re with a group of friends, and they’re great for creating content quickly for sharing on social media.

You can see a few examples of the QuickShot modes in the video above. To track a subject, all you need to do is draw a box around the building or person using the controller’s screen, and you’re good to go.

For getting close to subjects without physically moving your drone, the Atom 3 features a 2x digital zoom at 4K resolution, 3x digital zoom at 2.7K, and 4x at 1080P. Above, you can see what the 2x digital zoom looks like. The quality isn’t the best, as there’s a significant drop in the building’s sharpness. This is a limitation posed by the DJI Flip too, which features the same sensor size, so it isn’t a rare occurrence in this price range.

It’s important to note that the vertical video Atom 3 shoots isn’t true vertical — like on the DJI Mini 5 Pro where the gimbal rotates at a 90° angle. The Atom 3 captures standard horizontal footage and then digitally crops it to achieve a 9x16 aspect ratio. That’s no bad thing, though, and vertical footage looks nice and detailed enough for viewing on smartphones.

While the Atom 3 is capable of producing lovely footage during daytime, especially in sunny conditions, it falters in unfavorable lighting conditions — especially at night. The Atom 3 has a narrow f/2.8 aperture but a large 1/1.3-inch sensor. It’s also got an AI Night Mode which uses AI image processing to enhance visuals “without overexposure.”

There are a couple of reasons why I wouldn’t recommend flying the Atom 3 at night. Firstly, the low-light performance is quite poor. Watch the video above. The first clip was shot in normal mode while the second was captured with AI Night Mode active. I personally prefer the first clip as it looks more natural and the motion while panning or when cars are zooming past doesn’t appear jarring.

The AI Night Mode, on the other hand, makes the video look a little fake as it has added a strange blue hue to the sky by essentially increasing the exposure. There’s a lot of noise and grain in the dark areas, and while panning, you can see a fair amount of motion blur. That’s also because the Atom 3 drops the 4K frame rate down to just 25fps in AI Night Mode from 60fps in regular mode.

Secondly, because the Atom 3 doesn’t feature any form of obstacle avoidance, it’s difficult to fly the drone at night when you can’t always see it. For those two reasons, if you plan on using a drone for low-light videography, I’d recommend the DJI Flip with its f/1.7 aperture and life-like low-light capabilities. Even better is the DJI Mini 5 Pro, which is worth the extra spend for its large 1-inch f/1.8 sensor alone.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Image quality

The Potensic Atom 3 is capable of capturing 12MP images with its 1/1.3-inch sensor. For the first time on a Potensic drone, the Atom 3 can capture RAW photos too for more freedom in post-production. The photos in the gallery above are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs and as you can see, color reproduction is faithful and true to life. I especially love how the sunlight falls on the landscape in the first two slides.

If you want to capture more high-res images, the Atom 3 can take 50MP stills with a resolution of 8192 x 6144 in what Potensic calls it the drone’s 8K mode. The images in the gallery above were taken in the 8K mode and as you can see, they’re packed with detail. The colors are nothing short of stunning, and the buildings in the first shot especially are sharp and in focus.

Just like you do when shooting video, you get access to a 2x digital zoom when capturing 12MP stills. But similar to the zoomed-in video earlier, the Atom 3 struggles to reproduce sharp stills when the drone is zoomed in to its limits. The photo above was taken with the 2x digital zoom active and as you can see, the building looks fuzzy and low-res. 12MP doesn’t provide a ton of wiggle room either, and no digital zoom is available in the aforementioned 8K mode.

The Atom 3’s low-light performance when taking stills in dimly lit environments is decent too, as you can see in the gallery above. No AI Night Mode here, and I like that the images are fairly noise-free. I love the look of the sunlight peeking through the clouds as the sun sets over Bristol, U.K.

Potensic Atom 3 review: App

The Potensic Atom 3 is accompanied by the Potensic Eve app, available for free on iOS and Android. I thoroughly enjoyed using the app when it was first introduced with the Atom 2, so I’m happy to see it make a return. It sports a similar interface to the excellent DJI Fly app, so if you’re familiar with it or even if this is your first time using a drone app, you’ll have no issues getting to grips with it.

If you’re using the standard mobile controller with the Atom 3, you’ll be heavily relying on Potensic Eve. In addition to acting as your eyes, the app allows you to see low-res previews of videos and stills you’ve captured, update the drone’s firmware, view flight logs, and access Potensic Academy for tutorials and how-tos.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Battery life

The Potensic Atom 2’s flight time was already respectable, and the Potensic Atom 3 one-ups it with longer battery life. Using the standard Smart Battery, the Atom 3 is rated for 40 minutes, and this jumps up to 50 minutes with the Smart Battery Plus. Based on these figures alone, the Atom 3 trumps its competitors. For instance, the DJI Lito X1 is rated for 36 minutes while the DJI Flip can last just 31 minutes between charges or battery swaps.

Your mileage will naturally depend on the shooting settings and flying conditions. Flying in mostly windy conditions, I was able to squeeze 35 minutes out of the Atom 3’s Smart Battery — but I was also switching between modes, viewing the gallery, etc. between shots. It’s worth investing in one of the Fly More combos — either the RC PTD2 bundle ($679) or the standard Fly More bundle ($549) — if you want two additional batteries.

Unlike the Atom 2 whose charging hub used a proprietary cable for charging, the Atom 3’s hub sports a USB-C hub — now that’s more like it! The parallel charging hub charges all three batteries simultaneously in just under 90 minutes. If you’re using Smart Battery Plus, these require 135 minutes to go from zero to 100%.

Potensic Atom 3 review: Verdict

If you’re taking your first steps into the world of aerial photography, or are stepping up from a budget drone, the Potensic Atom 3 is an excellent choice. Easy to fly thanks to the new RC PTD2 controller, the Atom 3 is compact and lightweight, making it great for travel too. It captures 50MP stills in JPEG and RAW, giving you more freedom in post-production.

4K/60fps video is stunning and stable, thanks to the drone’s three-axis gimbal. AI subject tracking works excellently too, and the Atom 3’s QuickShot modes work well and are superb for creating short-form content for quick sharing to social media. However, the Atom 3 doesn’t feature any collision avoidance sensors and its low-light performance is far from best, so I wouldn’t recommend getting the drone solely for shooting at nighttime. Those drawbacks alone make the DJI Flip and the DJI Lito X1 more enticing.

For everything else, though? It’s almost perfect. The Atom 3 improves on its predecessor to deliver one of the best beginner drones yet.

This year's Amazon Prime Day deals are in full swing and that can only mean one thing: my favorite quadcopters have received massive price cuts so now's the time to save big on the best drones. Whether you're a veteran pilot or a newbie, there are plenty of discounts to be enjoyed by everyone — but there are so many deals to choose from, where do you even start?

I've got you so don't worry. I review drones for a living so I'm here to cut through the noise and bring you only the crème de la crème of deals. The best discount you can grab today is on the DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo which is a whopping 38% off, so it's available for just $449 — and it includes a controller, carry bag and extra batteries. Also, our favorite budget drone is even cheaper today, so you can get the DJI Neo for as little as $139!

Of course, it's not just DJI's quadcopters that are discounted. The deal I'm most enticed by is on the Antigravity A1 Infinity Bundle which is down to its lowest-ever price of $1,599. I know that still sounds like a lot but you're saving over $400 on one of the best 360° 8K drones you can buy today.

And there's plenty more where that came from. Here are the 9 best Prime Day drone deals I've found (so far).

Meet your drones deals expert

Quick links

• Shop all Amazon Prime Day deals now
• DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo: was $719 now $449
• DJI Mini 4K Fly More Combo: was $389 now $255
• DJI Neo: was $199 now $139
• DJI Flip (with two batteries): was $389 now $309
• Antigravity A1 Infinity Bundle: was $1,999 now $1,599
• Potensic Atom 2 Fly More Combo: was $479 now $324
• Potensic Atom SE Expansion Kit: was $229 now $195
• HoverAir X1 Combo Plus: was $339 now $271
• HoverAir X1 ProMax: was $699 now $594

Best Prime Day DJI drone deals

Best Prime Day Antigravity drone deals

Best Prime Day Potensic drone deals

Best Prime Day HoverAir drone deals

We're tracking all the best Prime Day drone deals

There's never a bad time to buy a drone — take it from someone who reviews these nifty gadgets for a living. I've spent over 900 hours testing the best drones, and I get very excited anytime my top picks receive price cuts. With Memorial Day deals in full swing, now's a great time to grab a quadcopter for yourself. After all, few things in life are better than capturing the sights from a bird's-eye view.

Whether you're just a beginner or an experienced pilot, there's a drone for everyone. For example, the DJI Neo Fly More Combo is down to just $295 at Amazon, and it comes with extra batteries and a controller. This is an excellent pick for those just starting out. "But what if I've been flying drones for years?" I got you. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo is available for $2,749 at Amazon — and I gave this drone a 5-star rating!

Of course, non-DJI drones are on sale too, like the Potenstic Atom 2 which is down to $519 at Amazon, and the Antigravity A1 which is 20% off right now. Here are all the Memorial Day deals that are actually worth your money, handpicked by a registered drone pilot.

Quick links

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo: was $2,899 now $2,749
• DJI Neo Fly More Combo: was $349 now $295
• DJI Avata 2 Fly More Combo: was $1,199 now $1,019
• Potensic Atom 2 Fly More Combo: was $549 now $519
• HoverAir X1: was $339 now $288
• Antigravity A1: was $1,599 now $1,279

Best Memorial Day drone deals

More from Tom's Guide

• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners
• I’ve spent over 900 hours testing all the best drones: here are my top picks
• Best Picks
• Summer is the best time for aerial photography — here are my top-rated drones for the perfect shots

DJI has faced a ban on importing and selling drones in the United States since December 2025, but the company may have slipped one final drone under the wire. Between leaks, official announcements and FCC filings DJI may have one more drone for American enthusiasts to enjoy.

Today, DJI posted a teaser video for the new Lito drone, which could be the last DJI model to receive FCC certification, pending the outcomes of various legal battles. The teaser promised an official reveal on April 23.

Based on FCC filings, it appears DJI was able to get the Lito approved before the December 22, 2025, cutoff for the FCC ban. This means the new drone is "grandfathered" into the US market and can be sold in the US.

What is DJI Lito?

DJI's official teaser only highlighted the name and official launch date. However, some previous leaks revealed images that purported to be the new compact drone.

Earlier this month, "tech detective" Igor Bogdanov showed photos that look like marketing materials and not just CAD renders or dummy models. He also posted some packaging images. Today, in light of the announcement, he posted some zoomed in looks at the drone.

A separate leak on Reddit appears to reveal some specs of the Lito drone. According to the poster, the Lito has a top speed of 18m/s and an apparent incompatibility with current controllers.

Based solely on Igor's images, the Lito looks a lot like the DJI Mini 5 Pro, if perhaps a bit sleeker. It's not clear where it will fit in the DJI lineup. My speculation is that the Lito is a slightly less feature-rich version of the Mini.

How we got here

As mentioned, the FCC implemented a ban on foreign-made drones in December of last year, specifically targeting Chinese manufacturers. DJI has been fighting the ban since at least 2023 and sued the FCC in February claiming the agency "exceeded its statutory authority" in an attempt to overturn the ban.

You can still buy DJI-made drones in the US, especially grandfathered in ones that were made before the December deadline. Everything else has been or will be added to the FCC's "Covered List" or its list of banned devices.

Technically, DJI could possibly release more drones in the US after passing "rigorous cyber and hardware assessments," according to the NSD FCC Covered List Waiver 0126. However, it's not clear what those assessments include and if they'll be made difficult just to keep drones on the Covered List.

The legal battles are ongoing, so it may be some time before this is totally cleared up. But for now, the Lito is coming and could be the last new DJI drone we see for a while.

More from Tom's Guide

• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners
• Summer is the best time for aerial photography — here are my top-rated drones for the perfect shots
• I've flown both the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 360-degree drones — and there's a clear winner

Ah, summer. Winter has long gone and with it, the snow has melted away. The cherry blossoms and magnolia trees are blossoming everywhere, and as the clocks change in the States and in Europe, it signals one thing: summer will soon be here. It's time for barbecues in the backyard and staying out late as it's brighter for longer. It's also a great time for photography, so it's time to dust off your camera.

You know what else is perfectly suited to summer? Drones and aerial photography. As someone who tests all the best drones, I know for a fact that it can be very difficult to capture pleasing footage in the winter when everything appears dry and damp — especially if you live in the U.K. like I do.

If you're planning on taking to the skies this summer, boy have I got some good recommendations for you! As part of the Amazon Big Spring Sale, many of my favorite drones have been discounted, such as the DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo which is a whopping $500 off at Amazon, and the Potensic Atom 2 bundle which is 21% off at Amazon.

Two of my top-rated drones, the DJI Neo 2 and the DJI Air 3S, aren't discounted but they're worth paying full price for — I gave both of them 4.5-star ratings. So, if you're looking to capture beautiful, sun-kissed landscapes this summer, here are the drones that are up to the challenge.

Quick links

• DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo: was $1,599 now $1,099 @ Amazon
• DJI Mini 4K Fly More Combo: was $449 now $309 @ Amazon
• DJI Flip: was $439 now $349 @ Amazon
• DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo: was $2,899 now $2,849 @ Adorama
• DJI Neo 2: $259 @ Amazon
• DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo: $1,399 @ Amazon
• Potensic Atom 2 Fly More Combo: was $479 now $379 @ Amazon

My top-rated drones for the summer

More from Tom's Guide

• I've flown both the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 360-degree drones — and there's a clear winner
• DJI Avata 360 review: The undisputed king of 360-degree drones
• Best drones in 2026

When I say, "drones really don't get much better than this," I'm obviously talking about the brand new DJI Avata 360. DJI has been teasing its latest and first-ever 360° drone for a couple of weeks now, and that's not even the first we've heard of it. Since the tail-end of 2025, online rumors and leaks have been speculating the Avata 360's launch, specs and price, and finally, finally, the drone has landed — and it's made a splash.

I'll be the first to admit that drones have been... a little boring of late. The same specs recycled and stuffed into the same sub-250g / sub-8.78oz bodies, the drone industry feels like it has plateaued in the last few years. As someone who tests the best drones, I've been wanting someone to shake things up. Make a bang. Make me go, "Wow, they can do that?!" That finally happened when the Antigravity A1 came out in November 2025, and while it impressed me, the premium price left a sour taste in my mouth. Enter DJI.

The Avata 360 is, in true DJI fashion, a fine drone. It's not only the best 360° drone, it's one of the best drones in general, period. DJI has managed to pack twin lenses that capture 8K/60fps footage and 120MP stills, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, and next-gen features like Intelligent Tracking into a body that doesn't break the bank. And it certainly gives the Antigravity A1 a run for its money.

Chock-full of goodies

While you can read all about the drone's specs in my full DJI Avata 360 review, I'd like to give you a quick overview of what we're being treated to here. The Avata 360 is fitted with twin lenses that record 4K record a 180° FoV (field of view) each in 4K, and the frames are then stitched together by the camera. What this means is that you get +8K resolution before stitching and when the clips are stitched together, you get 360° footage at true 8K resolution.

In addition to this, you can capture 120MP stills too, as the twin lenses snap 64MP images each and then stitch them together. The best part is that you can't see any stitching lines, neither in videos nor in stills. Also, if you want to quickly share clips on social media and don't have time for post-production (you'll need to reframe the footage a fair bit in post to make it usable), you can do that and create 'tiny planet' effects by manipulating the two top dials on the RC-2 controller.

Speaking of, there are two ways of flying the Avata 360: you can do so with either the RC-2 controller (or any other recent DJI controller, really) or the DJI Goggles N3 and the RC Motion 3 controller. Compared to the Antigravity A1 which can be flown only with a headset and motion controller, the dual ways of flying make the Avata 360 far more versatile. Having tested both, you can take my word for it when I say both work extremely well.

No qualms about the build

As is always the case with DJI's drones, the DJI Avata 360 is built extremely well and designed just as nicely. Looking like the lovechild of the DJI Avata 2 and the DJI Neo 2, the Avata 360 is wrapped in dark grey colors which lend it a premium edge. The drone features propeller guards which not only make the drone safe for flying indoors or near people, but also protect the propellers if the drone runs into a wall, tree or other obstacle.

One important thing to note about the Avata 360 is that it weighs 1lb or 455g, which means that you’ll need to register it with the F.A.A. in the U.S. and the C.A.A. in the U.K., or any other governing authority depending on where you live. More restrictions may apply too, so I highly recommend doing your research before taking to the skies. In my opinion, don't let the weight put you off — it's well-worth it. Because it's a little heavy, the Avata 360 doesn't get knocked by sudden gusts of wind either, ensuring you always get smooth and stable footage.

Alongside the brand's trademark RockSteady technology, the drone also features a single-axis mechanical gimbal which provides further stabilization. None of the footage I captured appeared shaky or unsteady, and even if it does, you can digitally stabilize it via DJI Studio when you're back at your desk.

So... it's perfect?

Yeah, it kinda is. Look, my job is to analyze tech and put products through their paces, and I've struggled to find any real flaws with the DJI Avata 360. Okay, it weighs more than 8.78oz, but does that matter in the grand scheme of things, when you're getting such a solid drone? U.S. consumers have to wait a while too as the drone is currently available for pre-order only, but again, that's not a flaw. It will come.

Other than that, no, there isn't anything wrong with the Avata 360, and you can rest assured that you're getting bang for your buck. It's some of the most fun I've had flying and testing a drone recently, and the creative possibilities are truly limitless. It's worth every cent.

Wondering which 360° drone is right for you? Check out my DJI Avata 360 versus Antigravity A1 face-off!

More from Tom's Guide

• DJI Avata 360 review: The undisputed king of 360-degree drones
• I've flown both the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 360-degree drones — and there's a clear winner
• I tested the DJI Goggles N3 for a month — and I don’t want to fly a drone without an FPV headset ever again

For a few years now, it has felt like the evolution of drones has plateaued, with the same specs being fitted into practically every quadcopter out there. That all changed with the introduction of 360° drones in 2025, and DJI has staked its claim as the best 360° drone with the Avata 360. The Chinese giant’s first 360° drone is a winner, and it upstages the Antigravity A1 (rival Insta360’s drone) in more ways than one.

Capable of recording 8K/60fps footage, the Avata 360 captures every angle possible with its twin lenses, and gives you plenty of headroom to maintain 4K resolution when cropping to 16:9 in post. Intuitive to fly with either the standard controller or a pair of goggles and a motion controller, the straight-out-of-camera footage can even be used without any work in post-production. It captures hi-res 120MP stills too, and the best part? It’s affordable!

To find out if this is the best drone for you, read my full DJI Avata 360 review.

DJI Avata 360 review: Specs

DJI Avata 360 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? DJI’s first-ever 360° drone and the latest addition to the Avata lineup
• Who is it for? For content creators and anyone who wants to capture every angle, as well as first-person view (FPV) enthusiasts
• How much does it cost? The DJI Avata 360 starts at ~$549 / £409 and goes all the way up to ~$1,119 / £829
• What do we like? The build quality, 360° 8K/60fps video, 120MP stills, dual ways to fly, and detailed companion software
• What don’t we like? The heavy weight

DJI Avata 360 review: Price & availability

Launched on 26 March 2026, the DJI Avata 360 is the Chinese manufacturer’s first-ever 360° drone, and the latest addition to the Avata lineup. At the time of writing, it’s only the second drone to feature 360° technology, and so, it competes directly with the Antigravity A1 ($1,599) which first came out in November 2025.

The Antigravity A1 uses the same technology found in Insta360’s 360° cameras, and this is also the case with the Avata 360. DJI’s drone builds on the imaging tech used in the DJI Osmo 360 camera ($549), and I’ll discuss that more in detail soon. The Avata 360 massively undercuts its primary rival, the Antigravity A1, as it costs a lot less. The drone on its own costs ~$549 / £409 and is perfect for those who already own a DJI controller. If you want the DJI RC-2 controller, it’ll cost you ~$859 / £639, while both the RC-2 Fly More Combo and the Motion Combo (including the DJI Goggles N3 and the DJI RC Motion 3 controller) retail for ~$1,199 / £829 each. U.S. pricing is yet to be confirmed.

That’s right: the Avata 360’s most expensive bundle costs much less than the Antigravity A1’s cheapest one ($1,599 / £1,219). This, alone, makes the Avata 360 a much better investment, and when you add all the goodies it offers to the equation, there’s no question about which drone offers better value for money.

However, as with all other recent DJI launches, the Avata 360’s U.S. availability is dicey. That’s due to the restrictions on foreign-made drones by the F.C.C. While drones that were registered with the F.C.C. prior to the 23 December 2025 ruling can be sold in the American market — and there are very strong rumors that the Avata 360 was one of them — it’s difficult to ascertain how it will impact the Avata 360’s launch. We also don’t know if DJI Care Refresh will be available for the Avata 360 yet, but I have reached out to a DJI representative to get a clearer picture.

DJI Avata 360 review: Design

The DJI Avata 360, like every other DJI drone I’ve tested, is exceptionally built and designed. As part of the Avata lineup, it borrows design cues from the DJI Avata 2 ($409) as well as the DJI Neo 2 ($319) — it looks like the lovechild of the two. Twin lenses sit on the top and bottom of the gimbal unit to capture a 360° view which can later be edited in post-production via the companion software (more on that soon).

Similar to the Neo 2, the Avata 360 is wrapped in dark grey colors which lend it a premium edge and make it look more high-quality than, say, the DJI Neo ($199) or the DJI Mini 4 Pro ($759), in my opinion. Just like on the Neo 2 and the Avata 2, bumpers protect the Avata 360’s four propeller guards, which not only make the drone safe for flying indoors or near people, but also protect the propellers if the drone runs into a wall, tree or other obstacle. Bumper guards are absent on the Antigravity A1, in comparison, which gives the Avata 360 a leg-up — more safety features are always welcome!

The Avata 360 weighs 1lb or 455g, and it measures 9.69 x 7.83 x 2.19 inches. Though it isn’t as small as, say, the DJI Neo 2, the Avata 360 is still easy to travel with, especially in the included shoulder bag. As the drone weighs more than 8.78oz, you’ll need to register it with the F.A.A. in the U.S. and the C.A.A. in the U.K., or any other governing authority depending on where you live. The Avata 360’s heavy weight comes as no surprise, given that the DJI Avata 2 weighs 13.3oz or 377g.

As with most 360° cameras, the Avata 360’s lenses are easily replaceable by users, which is good news as the lower lens can be liable to impacts during landing. This is simple enough to do, as all you need to do is unscrew and pop out the damaged lens with the tools provided in the replacement kit, and screw on the new one.

We’ve also seen the inclusion of interchangeable lenses with the Antigravity A1, so it’s great that DJI has implemented this feature too. To ensure that the lenses don’t get damaged, the Avata 360’s gimbal rotates in a way that the lenses are only exposed when the drone is turned on. When you’re landing the drone, the gimbal rotates and tucks what would be the lower lens to the back, so that it doesn’t come in contact with the ground.

Build quality remains sublime as usual, and the Avata 360 doesn’t feel low-quality. Tapping it with my fingernails didn’t reveal any hollow parts or pinging, so you’re getting bang for your buck.

DJI Avata 360 review: Controls

When you buy the Antigravity A1, you get Vision goggles and a Grip motion controller in the bundle, and that’s what you use to fly the drone — similar to the DJI Goggles N3 and the DJI RC Motion 3 controller ($229 + $99). The DJI Avata 360 is a more versatile drone in that regard, as you can fly it with either the Goggles N3 and the RC Motion 3, or with a DJI RC-2 controller.

I’ve covered the RC-2 controller extensively as I’ve used it with the DJI Mini 5 Pro ($759) and other drones, but with the Avata 360, the interface is a little different. For instance, when using the RC-2 with the Avata 360, the top left dial lets you adjust the 360° Virtual Gimbal’s tilt and roll angle while the top right dial zooms in and out to help you capture each and every angle. When you’re doing this while flying the drone, it feels a little trippy and disorienting, but it’s extremely fun.

One of the advantages of buying the Avata 360 over the Antigravity A1 is the RC-2 controller — it can even be flown with an RC-N3 controller — as it enables you to view the footage you’ve just shot. You don’t need to wait until you’ve offloaded the footage to your phone or when you’re back at your desk. You can view a low-res preview of the video you’ve just filmed, and you can even use your finger to change the on-screen viewing angles.

Then you’ve got the Goggles N3 and the RC Motion 3, which I also tested with the Avata 360. If you want a more immersive flying experience, I’d highly recommend grabbing that bundle instead, as it makes you feel like you’re sitting on top of the drone, and it gives you a proper bird’s eye view of the world. You can see all around you by simply moving your head. Look down and you’ll see what’s under the drone. Look to the right and you’ll see what’s to the right of the Avata 360. This is also how the Antigravity A1’s Vision goggles and Grip controller work. Both the Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 are very similar in this regard.

The RC Motion 3 works just as well, and gives you a lot of control over the Avata 360’s movements. It enables you to make minute adjustments to your drone’s position and direction, so you can turn tight corners with ease. To find out more about how FPV flying works, read my full DJI Goggles N3 review.

If you don’t want to spend nearly a grand on the Motion combo, the standard RC-2 bundle will be enough for you. 360° footage needs to be edited in post-production to make it usable and the RC-2 controller captures every angle anyway, so you don’t necessarily need the most expensive bundle.

DJI Avata 360 review: Features

There’s no dearth of features on the DJI Avata 360. Alongside its 8K 360° video capabilities, you also get solid wind resistance, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, and other safety features. For a retail price much less than the Antigravity A1, I’d say the Avata 360 trumps Insta360 in the features department.

The Avata 360 has a flight distance of 8.38 miles, which is a little more than the Antigravity A1’s 8-mile distance when you’re using a standard flight battery. On the Antigravity A1, this doubles with a High-Capacity battery. On the right edge of the drone, you’ll find a microSD card slot. While you get 42GB of internal storage (versus just 20GB on the Antigravity A1), I’d highly recommend investing in a microSD card, such as the Lexar 256GB V60 ($134). If you’re constantly shooting 8K/60fps video, the Avata 360’s internal storage will fill up extremely quickly — any drone’s or camera’s would.

Wind resistance

The Avata 360 features great wind resistance, capable of withstanding level 5 winds (10.7 m/s or 24mph). This is the same as the Antigravity A1 and the DJI Avata 2. I flew on a couple of windy days when the speed was over 20mph, according to my phone, and the drone didn’t falter. Because it weighs 1lb as well, it isn’t susceptible to gusts of wind — something that is an issue with sub-250g drones, like the Antigravity A1.

Obstacle avoidance

The Avata 360 features fantastic obstacle avoidance too. Its omnidirectional obstacle avoidance means it can brake or bypass objects in its way, depending on your settings. This is one of the most important features you can have in an FPV drone, and it comes in handy especially when flying the Avata 360 through the Goggles N3 and using the RC Motion 3. It gives you a lot more confidence when navigating tight spaces.

It will continue detecting and avoiding obstacles even when you hit the return-to-home button. This prompts the drone to fly back to its last known takeoff position, and is automatically toggled when the Avata 360 is low on battery.

DJI Avata 360 review: Video quality

The DJI Avata 360 is an incredible 360° drone, capable of recording 8K video at 60fps, which gives it a leg-up over the Antigravity A1 whose frame rate tops out at 30fps. While the Avata 360 borrows much of its core technology from the DJI Osmo 360, it’s important to note that the action camera’s 8K video is limited to 50fps (which is also outstanding, by the way) or 5K at 60fps. It does, however, feature the same 1/1.1-inch Square CMOS sensor.

Just like on the action camera, the Avata 360’s twin lenses record a 180° FoV (field of view) each in 4K, and the frames are then stitched together by the camera. What this means is that you get +8K resoltuion before stitching and when the clips are stitched together, you get 360° footage at true 8K resolution. This is how the twin lenses on the Antigravity A1 work too. I couldn’t see any stitching lines between the clips either, even after I zoomed in and analyzed the clips (and stills).

8K/60fps is extremely smooth and stable, and gives you a lot of freedom in post-production. You’ll be relying on companion software for editing these files in post (more on that soon), and 8K resolution basically gives you enough headroom in post-production to facilitate reframing (cropping into that full 8K image) at up to 4K in a 16:9 aspect ratio, depending on how wide the field of view is of your final frame.

But the Avata 360 has an ace up its sleeve. You see, when you’re shooting video on the Antigravity A1, you can’t really zoom out and change the pitch angle much, so you need to heavily edit files in post to make them watchable and usable. On the Avata 360? Even without editing, you can create ‘tiny planet’ effects by manipulating the two top dials on the RC-2 controller, as you can see above. I haven’t edited the footage (except for trimming the beginning and the end) and it still looks fantastic, giving the viewer a bird’s eye view of the world.

I think this massively adds to the Avata 360’s appeal. 360° editing software can take a while to get to grips with and might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and if a novice can create footage that’s instantly usable and shareable, it’s a win.

But editing 360° footage via companion software is necessary if you want longer clips that aren’t simply using effects. It can be a lot of fun, and I’ll discuss the software in detail soon. I edited the video above to add a few different effects, such as Asteroid, Ultra Wide and more, and adjusted the FoV, pan, tilt and roll angles to create a trippy video.

Similar to Deep Track on the Antigravity A1, the Avata 360 features Intelligent Tracking where you can draw a box around a subject in post-production, and the drone will automatically track it and highlight it as the primary subject. As you can see in the video above, I drew a box around a pillar in the distance on two separate occasions, and the software did an excellent job of tracking it even as the Avata 360 was moving.

Since the Avata 360 records every single angle, you can swap between different FoVs — forward, behind, above, below, and so on — which essentially gives you unlimited A and B cams. It increases creative capabilities by enabling you to capture otherworldly angles which isn’t necessarily possible on non-360° drones. You also get access to DJI’s range of QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes, such as Dronie, Rocket, Follow, etc.

Like DJI’s action cameras, the Avata 360’s footage is stabilized using the brand’s trademark RockSteady technology, so every clip turns out smooth, as you’ve seen in all the footage above. Alongside this, the drone also features a single-axis mechanical gimbal which provides some degree of stabilization. Using both together, the Avata 360’s footage never flickers or appears unsteady.

DJI Avata 360 review: Image quality

Alongside stellar video quality and capabilities, the DJI Avata 360 is exceptional at capturing stills too. Each lens on the Avata 360 captures 64MP stills which are then digitally stitched together to deliver a 120MP 360° photo (15520×7760). I couldn’t see any visible stitching lines in the photos I’d captured for the purposes of this review. The 360° photo means you can edit it as you wish, and view every single angle if you share it with another person as an interactive 360° photo.

If you’re short on space and don’t want massive 120MP files clogging up your internal storage or microSD card, you can drop the resolution down to 30MP. You won’t capture as much detail, of course, but it’s a good idea if you’re in a pinch.

The 1/1.1-inch sensor captures plenty of detail with faithful color reproduction, as you can see in the gallery above. The highlights and shadows are well-balanced while the images themselves are highly detailed, and you can zoom in and not lose too much detail either.

These were taken in Auto mode but you can shoot manually too, as the Avata 360 has an adjustable shutter speed of 1/30s to 1/8,000s and ISO range of 100-6400 when shooting stills. This is the same ISO range you’ll find on the Antigravity A1, and should be just enough to shoot in low-light conditions, such as at dusk or dawn.

DJI Avata 360 review: App & software

The DJI Avata 360 saves 360° files in the OSV format which must be opened in either DJI Fly on your smartphone or DJI Studio on your macOS or Windows machine. Both apps are extremely easy to use and I’ll discuss both, starting off with DJI Studio. Full disclosure: this was my first time using DJI Studio, and as a newbie, I thoroughly enjoyed using the software thanks to its user-friendly interface.

DJI Studio gives you quick tutorials on how to edit 360° footage, so even if you’re a newcomer like myself, you won’t have any trouble getting a hang of it. It might take a while to understand keyframes and effects but once you wrap your head around them, editing the Avata 360’s footage is a walk in the park. Within DJI Studio, you can adjust pan, tilt, roll angles, FoVs, add effects like Asteroid, and lots more. You can also color grade your footage in the app itself, if you’ve shot it in D-Log M. If you shoot in MP4, you can adjust the contrast, brightness, color temperature, etc. Easy as pie.

There are a few handy editing features for smoother or creative results too, such as Chromatic Aberration Control, Stitching Optimization, Distortion Optimization, and Motion Blur. You get a fair bit of control over the motion blur which can help convey a sense of high speed if you so wish.

Then you’ve got DJI Fly on Android and iOS, which serves as the central hub for all your DJI drones. As with other DJI drones, you can use this app to quickly offload footage (useful if you’re running out of space), see nearby fly spots, and update the drone’s firmware.

In addition to all of this, you can also edit your 360° footage, and I especially love the One Tap Edit feature, which utilizes AI to trim your selected clips and add effects and music to them, as you can see in the video above. You get several templates to add your clips, text and music to too, and it’s all you need to create quick footage to share instantly on social media.

DJI Avata 360 review: Battery life

The DJI Avata 360 has respectable battery life, at least by drone standards. On a single charge, the Avata 360 can fly for 23 minutes, which is the same as the DJI Avata 2. The Antigravity A1, in comparison, can fly for 24 minutes using a standard battery pack or 39 minutes when using a High-Capacity battery.

Of course, the battery life will depend on the usage and flying conditions. I flew the Avata 360 for approximately 22 minutes while shooting 8K/60fps video before the drone had to automatically return-to-home due to low battery. This is fantastic, in my opinion, but also worth noting that it’s entirely subjective, as I was flying in windless conditions and in Neutral mode.

The Avata 360 comes with a three-way charging hub and two extra batteries if you buy the Fly More combo. All three batteries, in my testing, took just over an hour to go from zero to 100% charge.

DJI Avata 360 review: Verdict

If you’re a fan of aerial photography and want to capture every angle possible, there’s no better 360° drone better than the DJI Avata 360. It’s super easy and intuitive to fly with either the DJI Goggles N3 or a standard DJI RC-2 / RC-N3 controller. Since it captures every angle, you can focus on and enjoy flying and think about framing later. Both the DJI Studio and DJI Fly apps are easy to use and enable you to create stunning (and even trippy) footage.

The Avata 360 captures beautiful, stable 8K/60fps footage and highly detailed 120MP stills. With good battery life, excellent stabilization, and a premium build that doesn’t get knocked about by gusts of wind, the Avata 360 is all you need to get creative and create professional-looking footage. And the best part is that the drone is extremely affordable, and none of the bundles break the bank. It’s the undisputed king of 360° drones.

In November of 2025, there was a seismic shift in the drone world: a new brand threatened DJI's position as the king of the skies. Antigravity, a brand "incubated" by Insta360 (yes, the 360° cameras giant), launched its first drone, and the world's first-ever 360° drone, called the Antigravity A1.

At the time, DJI didn't have its own 360° drone which meant that Antigravity had carved a niche of its own and the A1 remained the undisputed best 360° drone... until now.

Four months later, in March 2026, DJI launched its first-ever 360° drone (and the world's second), the long-rumored DJI Avata 360. Since there are only two 360° drones in existence, at the time of writing, and both come from two of the biggest names in the realm of action cameras and drones, I naturally had to pit them against one another.

While I initially thought there weren't many differences between the two, I have since been proven wrong. Both the Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 shoot 8K 360° video which can be edited in post, and since every single angle is captured, you can focus on and enjoy flying first and think about framing later. Battery lives are fairly similar too... so are there any substantial differences? And is there a clear winner? Yes and yes.

Here's how it went when I tested the DJI Avata 360 versus the Antigravity A1.

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Specs compared

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Price & availability

The Antigravity A1 is a sub-brand of Insta360 — yes, the action and 360° cameras giant — and it officially launched in November 2025. Four months later, the DJI Avata 360 was announced, becoming the world's second-ever 360° drone (and the Chinese giant's first). I'll start off by talking about the elephant in the room that's desperately wanting to be addressed: the price difference between the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1.

There's a massive price difference between the two, and I wish I was exaggerating but I'm really not. The Avata 360 starts at ~$549 / £409 for just the drone, and this is the perfect deal for those who already own a DJI controller, like the RC-N3 or the RC-2, or a pair of DJI Goggles N3 and a DJI RC Motion 3 controller. There are three additional bundles available: with the RC-2 controller (~$859 / £639), an RC-2 Fly More Combo (~$1,199 / £829), and a Motion Combo (~$1,199 / £829).

In comparison, the Antigravity A1 starts at $1,599 / £1,219, while its Explorer bundle costs $1,899 / £1,399, and the Infinity bundle retails for a whopping $1,999 / £1,499. It's staggering, and the fact that the Avata 360's most expensive bundle still costs a lot less than the Antigravity A1's cheapest bundle blows my mind.

Winner: DJI Avata 360

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Design

Both the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 look very different from one another. The Avata 360 retains the DJI Avata 2's design and borrows styling cues from the DJI Neo 2. It's fitted with propeller guards which means that not only can you fly it indoors, but that its propellers are protected if your drone crashes into a tree or another obstacle. On the other hand, the Antigravity A1 looks similar to drones like the DJI Mini 5 Pro, with its propellers exposed, limiting its indoor usage.

The two drones are fairly compact in size, with the Avata 360 measuring 9.69 x 7.83 x 2.19 inches and the Antigravity A1 measuring 12.15 × 15.05 × 3.51 inches (unfolded, with propellers). Both come with shoulder bags for easy transport.

The biggest difference lies in their weight. The Avata 360 weighs 1lb while the Antigravity A1 weighs 8.78oz. Because the latter weighs so little, you don't need to necessarily register it with the F.A.A. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K., or any other governing authority depending on where you live.

Because the Avata 360 weighs so much, more flight restrictions apply, such as staying under a certain height limit, avoiding flying over groups of people, etc. I'd recommend reading up on the different rules and restrictions depending on where you live or where you're planning on flying the drone.

Due to the added restrictions, the Antigravity A1 takes the crown when it comes to design and portability — although the Avata 360 won't give you anything to complain about in terms of build quality.

Winner: Antigravity A1

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Features & app

There's no dearth of features on both the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1. Both drones feature omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, and return-to-home where the drones fly to their last known take-off positions either manually or automatically when battery is low. Both drones also feature internal storage, with the Antigravity A1 packing 20GB of it and the Avata 360 packing 42GB of it, making the latter the winner.

As is the nature of 360° footage where every single angle is captured, you need to edit footage in post-production to make it usable or professional-looking. Up until recently, DJI's companion software for editing action camera footage was fairly lackluser, but the brand has made massive strides with the Avata 360. DJI Studio on macOS/Windows is the easiest way to edit your footage, and in a similar vein, so is Antigravity Studio. Both drones are also accompanied by clean-looking, user-friendly mobile apps for on-the-fly editing.

The biggest difference, and the deciding factor of this round, lies in the drones' straight-out-of-camera footage — and this is also related to how the drones are controlled/flown. The Avata 360 can be used with either the RC-2 or the RC-N3 controller, and you can use these controllers to create Tiny Planet videos that can be shared online without editing. Since the Antigravity A1 uses a screen-less Grip motion controller, the same isn't possible, therefore handing over the win to the Avata 360.

Also aiding the Avata 360's win in this round is its 42GB of internal storage (compared to just 20GB on the Antigravity A1). In addition to this, the Avata 360's omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, in my opinion, works just a little better than the Antigravity A1's, as seen in my testing.

Winner: DJI Avata 360

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Photo & video quality

Both the DJI Avata 360 and the Antigravity A1 are fantastic, competent drones, capable of capturing 8K 360° footage. The Avata 360 does so at 60fps, while the Antigravity A1 does so at 30fps. The Avata 360 is in fact the only 360° device (action cameras and drones included) to record 8K/60fps footage, so it signals a new age for 360° devices.

Regardless, both drones capture stable and steady footage but the Avata 360's footage is more stabilized thanks to a single-axis mechanical gimbal working in conjunction with DJI's RockSteady tech.

8K video shot on both drones gives you enough headroom in post-production to reframe at up to 4K in a 16:9 aspect ratio — the default ratio for YouTube and TV. Twin lenses on each drone basically capture 4K videos which are then stitched together. On the Avata 360, the resolution you get is true 8K and therefore true 4K, and there are no stitching lines visible — in fact, you can't see stitching lines in the footage captured with the Antigravity A1 either.

The video above was shot on the Antigravity A1, and reframed in post. You can add many effects and adjust every single angle in post-production, and it's like having unlimited A and B cams. The video is smooth and stable, and the colors appear true-to-life too.

Above is a video shot on the Avata 360, in comparison. Because of the 60fps frame rate, the footage appears smoother and the motion looks more realistic. Personally, I prefer the look of the Avata 360's footage because the colors look more vibrant and the finer details (like the patterns in the clay) look more hi-res when compared to the Antigravity A1.

Alongside shooting video, the Antigravity A1 and the Avata 360 are excellent for capturing aerial stills too. The Antigravity A1 shoots 55MP photos with its 1/1.28-inch sensor while the Avata 360 shoots 120MP photos with its 1/1.1-inch sensor. The 120MP photos are achieved by stitching two 64MP photos together, although there are again no signs or stitching lines in the final results. The Avata 360 also gives you more freedom in terms of cropping when compared to the Antigravity A1 — although 55MP stills are still outstanding.

The images in the gallery above were shot on the Antigravity A1. They look good, and the drone has captured enough detail in the building in the distance, but some of the finer detail, like the edges of the window panes, has been lost.

In comparison, the images in the gallery above were shot on the Avata 360, and again, they look better, in my opinion. The colors are more pleasing to look at, and the images themselves are quite detailed. At the end of the day, the Avata 360 is the drone to get if you want best-in-class image and video quality, and so, it wins this round.

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Battery life

Neither the DJI Avata 360 nor the Antigravity A1 will give you much room to complain about when it comes to battery life. The Avata 360 is rated for 23 minutes between charges, while the Antigravity A1 is rated for 24 minutes. You can also use High-Capacity flight batteries with the Antigravity A1, and using one bumps the flight time up to 39 minutes, but it's worth noting that this pushes the drone's weight over 8.78oz, which means more restrictions apply.

Both drones are also accompanied by three-way charging hubs — if you buy the respective bundles. These charge three batteries in just under/over an hour each. At the time of writing, it isn't confirmed whether more advanced battery packs will be available for the Avata 360, so the Antigravity A1 is the winner in this department by a very narrow margin.

Winner: Antigravity A1

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Verdict

Both the Antigravity A1 and the DJI Avata 360 usher in a new age for drones: the era of 360° drones has begun. They're feats of engineering in their own rights, with both drones boasting incredible 8K video capabilities. But having spent weeks testing both drones, the winner couldn't be more obvious. When it comes to sheer value for money, the Avata 360 takes the cake as its most expensive Fly More Combo costs less than the Antigravity A1's cheapest one.

But that's not all. The Avata 360 is more intuitive to fly with either a controller or a pair of goggles, and it enables you to create good-looking straight-out-of-camera footage. Furthermore, it packs 8K/60fps video capabilities while the Antigravity A1's caps at 8K/30fps. Not only is the Avata 360 an Antigravity A1 killer, but this could potentially mean that DJI will start packing 8K/60fps into its action cameras, which wouldn't be good news for Insta360.

Combine that with 120MP stills, user-friendly editing software, and sublime build quality, and you've got a drone that will stay on top for a long, long time. The Avata 360 is clearly the king of 360° drones, and I can't picture it being dethroned anytime soon.

DJI Avata 360 vs Antigravity A1: Ratings scorecard

More from Tom's Guide

• 'The best 360-degree drone, maybe ever' — I tested the DJI Avata 360 for 3 weeks and it's the new gold standard
• I’ve been testing the Antigravity A1 and the world’s first-ever 360° drone confirms one thing: DJI has some serious competition
• “What if drones became an extension of our senses?”: I spoke with the Antigravity A1’s product lead about the brand’s inspirations, hopes and challenges

DJI isn't taking the FCC's drone ban lying down. The company is suing the agency to reverse the ban that prevents the Chinese company from importing or selling new drone models in the United States.

On Friday, February 20, DJI filed a petition with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that challenged the ban which went into effect this past December. DJI is requesting the court review the order, arguing that the FCC "exceeded its statutory authority" and violated the Fifth Amendment when it added DJI drones and parts to its Covered List.

The Covered List includes telecommunications equipment that has been deemed to pose a risk to national security. The FCC's ban basically blocks all foreign-made drone components and new foreign-manufactured drone models under the "threat" of national security.

In DJI's petition, it asks the Court to hold the ban "unlawful" and to vacate it.

The FCC did relax the rules in January when it released the NSD FCC Covered List Waiver 0126. Page two of that waiver document states that foreign-made drones may be allowed to be sold in the US after passing "rigorous cyber and hardware assessments."

Drones that pass would be allowed to remain available until January 1, 2027. However, it does not apply to consumer drones but rather those designed for first responders, government agencies, search and rescue teams and surveillance teams.

“Despite repeated efforts to engage with the government, DJI has never been given the chance to provide information to address or refute any concerns. These procedural and substantive deficiencies violate the Constitution and federal law," the FCC told PCMag.

Uphill battle

DJI has been fighting the ban since it was enacted by the House of Representatives in 2023, and it hasn't gone well. In September 2025, US District Judge Paul Friedman ruled against DJI saying that there is "substantial evidence" that the company “contributes to the Chinese defense industrial base."

Courts have previously upheld bans of other companies like Huawei, which has been banned since 2019 under the first Trump administration. U.S. courts have historically been hesitant to stick with U.S. government decisions regarding national security.

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• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners
• I reviewed every drone that came out in 2025: these are the best photos and videos I’ve taken
• The rumored DJI Avata 360’s price has been leaked online — and it might be surprisingly affordable compared to Insta360’s Antigravity A1

Should Insta360's Antigravity A1 be worried? Well, a threat is certainly looming, as the DJI Avata 360 rumors continue to ramp up. Fresh leaks suggest the drone could be coming very soon — and we might even see it in the next month or so. It looks like it will arrive in Spring 2026, even though I originally speculated that it would land at the end of December 2025.

But there are a few burning questions which won't be fully answered until we actually see the Avata 360. Will it be affordable, or at least cheaper than the Antigravity A1 (whose retail price makes it inaccessible to many)? Will it come with googles, like the DJI Goggles N3? And most importantly, will it be approved by the FCC in the U.S., given the drone ban and restrictions?

I've been keeping a close eye on the rumors, and the latest leaks have been quite enlightening. Here's everything you need to know about the DJI Avata 360.

How long has the DJI Avata 360 been rumored?

The latest leaks aren't the first time we've heard of the DJI Avata 360. Back in May 2025, when the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Neo 2 were being speculated upon, a rumor started circulating around the internet, noting that a successor to the DJI Avata 2 would be launching soon. This hinted at the DJI Avata 3, and not the Avata 360.

Fast forward to August 2025 when Chinese media reported that DJI was also preparing a 360-degree drone. This rumor reared its face shortly after Antigravity, a drone brand "incubated" by Insta360, first teased the Antigravity A1. This also aligned with the launch of the DJI Osmo 360, DJI's first-ever 360-degree camera. DJI finally had the 360 tech it could potentially implement in its drones — after all, the Antigravity A1's imaging tech is quite similar to that in the Insta360 X5.

Given that Insta360 and DJI are two of the biggest players in the realm of action cameras and drones, it's only natural for them to compete. The subsequent launch of the Antigravity A1 in December 2025 meant one thing: the DJI Avata 360 could land at any moment. I myself was convinced that we'd see it before the end of 2025, but December also brought with it the FCC ruling which would ban the launch of new foreign-made drones.

The FCC ruling doesn't affect the sale of already-existing drones, so you can still buy them, but any foreign-made drones that want to enter the American market will go through enhanced scrutiny. Even if drones are made on American soil but utilize foreign-made parts, they will still be scrutinized. This ruling, naturally, doesn't affect other countries, like the U.K., Australia, and nations in Europe and Asia. But it remains to be seen the impact it will have on the subsequent launch of the DJI Avata 360.

The DJI Avata 360 will be relatively affordable, according to leaks

There's no sugarcoating it: the world's first-ever 360-degree drone is very expensive. The Antigravity A1 starts at a whopping $1,599 / £1,219 and goes all the way up to $1,999 / £1,499, so it isn't exactly affordable. DJI has the chance to undercut it by pricing the DJI Avata 360 competitively and at a lower price point — and it looks like that's exactly what the manufacturer intends to do.

DroneXL was the first media outlet to report on the Avata 360 rumors, and as you can see in the image above, DJI looks set to undercut Antigravity. If these rumors are true, the drone alone would cost ¥2,988 (approximately $499); the RC-2 bundle would cost ¥3,988 (approximately $699); the Fly More Combo would cost ¥5,688 (approximately $999); and the Goggles N3 Combo would cost approximately $1,200.

As DroneXL notes, these are estimations, and we can expect some fluctuation. The Avata 360 could even launch at the Avata 2's launch price. If these rumors are true — and as with any rumors, that's a big "if" — Antigravity could be in trouble, as the most expensive Avata 360 bundle would still be $300 cheaper than Antigravity's cheapest!

It could potentially shoot 8K/60fps

We haven't seen much in terms of the DJI Avata 360's specs in the latest leaks and rumors, so it remains to be seen what its sensor size will be, along with the megapixels it will pack. We don't know how much it will weigh either, but given DJI's track record of keeping most of its drones under the 8.78oz / 249g mark, we can assume that pilots will be able to fly the Avata 360 without necessarily registering it with the FCC in the U.S. or the CAA in the U.K.

We do have one somewhat confirmed spec though. In the above image shared by DroneXL, it looks like the Avata 360 will be able to shoot 8K/60fps HDR Panorama Video. The Antigravity A1's video capabilities are limited to 8K/30fps, so this will give DJI a bit of a leg-up.

Many supposed images of the Avata 360 have been leaked online, too, but as with anything in the age of generative AI, I'm quite skeptical of these. You can never really know what's real and what's fake until you actually see it from an official source — so I will wait until DJI actually confirms the Avata 360 before sharing any product images.

When can I buy the DJI Avata 360?

It's difficult to say when exactly you'll be able to buy the DJI Avata 360, as there has been no official news about the drone, and it hasn't even been teased by DJI yet. The latest leaks, though, suggest that the drone could potentially launch as early as March 2026. This is just a rumor at the end of the day, of course, so take it with a grain of salt.

As always, I'll be bringing you the latest news on the Avata 360, whenever DJI decides on announcing and revealing it, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, if you're looking to buy a new drone in the U.S. and are worried about the FCC ban, the following are still available:

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro: was $2,699 now $2,179 @ Amazon
• DJI Mini 5 Pro: $759 @ Amazon
• DJI Air 3S (with RC-N3): $1,099 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo 2: $259 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo: $199 @ Amazon
• DJI Flip (with RC-N3): $439 @ Amazon
• DJI Avata 2 (Fly More Combo): was $729 now $619 @ Amazon

More from Tom's Guide

• Restrictions on drones have been temporarily eased but there's a catch — here are the updates on the US drone ban
• Best drones in 2026
• “What if drones became an extension of our senses?”: I spoke with the Antigravity A1’s product lead about the brand’s inspirations, hopes and challenges

As someone who reviews the best drones for a living. The one drone I recommend regardless of your level of expertise? The DJI Mini 5 Pro. If you've been saving up for a new drones or are looking to grab one in light of the fact that future DJI drones may not be authorized to be released in the U.S., now's the time to do it.

You see, Presidents' Day is almost upon us, and many retailers introduce massive discounts on lots of products this time of the year. I've found an absolutely killer deal on the Mini 5 Pro for you. The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is currently 31% off at Amazon, so you can save $500 on it right now.

This is the biggest discount I've seen on DJI's flagship drone, one that launched only in October of last year. I've thoroughly flown and reviewed the Mini 5 Pro and I'm here to tell you that this is the only drone you need to buy.

The Mini 5 Pro is a formidable mini drone, and as it weighs 8.81oz, you don't necessarily need to register it with the FCC to fly it. It takes incredible aerial videos and images with its large 1-inch sensor (seen for the first time on a mini drone), and it offers up to 14-stops of dynamic range for better low-light performance and freedom in post-production.

When it comes to image and video quality, the Mini 5 Pro doesn't disappoint. It captures beautiful and highly detailed 50MP images as well as smooth and stable 4K/60fps video. This is further bolstered by the drone's three-axis mechanical gimbal and ability to withstand winds up to 12 m/s (26.84mph), so you can fly in quite windy conditions without impacting video quality.

For beginner drone pilots and even veterans, the Mini 5 Pro packs a host of safety features, such as omnidirectional obstacle avoidance supplemented with forward-facing LiDAR which means that drone can detect objects even in low-light environments. It can even return home when there's no GPS!

In addition to all of this, the Mini 5 Pro borrows the 225° rotating gimbal from its bigger (and pricier) sibling, the Mavic 4 Pro. This enables flexible and dynamic camera movement as well as wide-angle rotation, which gives you lots of creative flexibility when shooting video or snapping images.

If there's only one drone you buy this Presidents' Day — or this year, even — make it the Mini 5 Pro. It's my favorite mini drone (and I've tested nearly all of them), and I can't recommend it enough if you want best-in-class image and video quality as well as safety features.

The Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo includes the RC-2 touchscreen controller, three Intelligent Flight Batteries, a shoulder bag, and more goodies. Right now, it's the cheapest it has even been — yes, even cheaper than Black Friday — and you can grab it for just $1,099 at Amazon!

More from Tom's Guide

• DJI Mini 5 Pro review: A new gold standard for mini drones
• Restrictions on drones have been temporarily eased but there's a catch — here are the updates on the US drone ban
• The DJI Mini 5 Pro has the best safety features for beginners, and their importance can’t be overstated

Towards the tail-end of last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. announced that it would implement a ban on new foreign-made drones — specifically those made by Chinese manufacturers. The brand that will be most impacted by this is DJI, the global leader when it comes to quadcopters.

When DJI announces its next drone, it might not be available in the U.S. — unless it passes "rigorous cyber and hardware assessments," according to the NSD FCC Covered List Waiver 0126 which was released last month. But just because future drones are impacted, it doesn't mean already-existing ones are too. All the DJI drones that launched last year are still available to buy, so you're in luck, and this might be one of your last chances to get one.

I have flown and reviewed every drone on this list, so I can attest to the fact that they are all worth the money. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro ($2,199) and the DJI Mini 5 Pro ($759), for instance, are the only two drones I've ever given 5/5 star ratings to, and they're both still around, available to buy through Amazon. Read on to find out which other DJI drones you can still buy in the U.S.!

Quick links

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro: was $2,699 now $2,199 @ Amazon
• DJI Mini 5 Pro: $759 @ Amazon
• DJI Air 3S (with RC-N3): $1,099 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo 2: $259 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo: $199 @ Amazon
• DJI Flip (with RC-N3): $439 @ Amazon
• DJI Avata 2 (Fly More Combo): was $729 now $619 @ Amazon

Drones you can still buy

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• The best drones in 2026
• U.S. bans foreign-made drones including those by DJI — here’s what it means for you
• The DJI Mini 5 Pro has the best safety features for beginners, and their importance can’t be overstated

On December 23 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. announced that it would ban all new foreign-made drones, including those by DJI. DJI, a Chinese manufacturer, has dominated the drone market for years now, and it is the brand worst-hit by this ban.

Since the tail-end of 2025, there have been a few new developments — some of them are hopeful too, especially for existing drone owners and non-American manufacturers. I test and review the best drones, so I have been keeping a close eye on the U.S. drone ban. Here's a rundown of what has happened since that fateful day.

What happened on December 23rd 2025?

The foreign-made drone ban didn't just happen overnight. This ordeal has been going on for a couple of years now. In June 2024, the House of Representatives passed a ban on the sale of DJI drones within the country. This also took place around the time when the government started seriously considering banning TikTok (also owned by a Chinese company).

After the June 2024 ruling, it then went to the Senate, and on December 23, 2025 — almost a year and a half after the House of Representatives vote — the FCC announced that future drones would not be available in the U.S. as and when they're released. This means that, for instance, the highly rumored DJI Avata 360 (to compete with the Antigravity A1) would not make an appearance in American markets.

This ban doesn't just apply to drones, according to the Public Notice released by the FCC. If a drone even uses foreign-made parts, it can be heavily scrutinized by the FCC and blocked from being released in the U.S. These parts can be anything: batteries, propellers, imaging sensors, etc.

Drones either made entirely on foreign soil or utilizing foreign-made parts will be added to a "Covered List" of entities pegged as "posing an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons."

Can I still buy drones in the U.S.?

While this is a blow to U.S. consumers who may want to buy DJI's future drones, it's important to note that drones released prior to December 23, 2025 are still safe, and are still being sold in the American market. If a drone was registered with and authorized by the FCC before the ban, it is still available. The last DJI drone that was added to the list was the DJI Mini 5 Pro (launched in October) and the non-DJI Antigravity A1 (launched in December).

As of today, the following DJI drones are still available:

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro: was $2,699 now $2,199 @ Amazon
• DJI Mini 5 Pro: $759 @ Amazon
• DJI Air 3S (with RC-N3): $1,099 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo 2: $259 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo: $199 @ Amazon
• DJI Flip (with RC-N3): $439 @ Amazon
• DJI Avata 2 (Fly More Combo): was $729 now $619 @ Amazon

Restrictions have been temporarily relaxed

Since the FCC ruling, there has been a new development. On January 7, 2026, a couple of weeks after the December 23rd ruling, the FCC released the NSD FCC Covered List Waiver 0126 which mentions the "DCMA's Blue UAS list."

Page two of the document states that foreign-made drones (and components) may be allowed to be sold in the U.S. once they have gone through and passed "rigorous cyber and hardware assessments." These drones will then be allowed to remain available until January 1, 2027.

This also applies to any drones that are partially made on American soil. As long as drones meet the definition of "domestic end products" and have "at least 65%" of their components' costs come from the U.S., they can avoid the FCC ban.

But there's a catch. This rule applies only to drones designed for first responders, government agencies and task forces, search and rescue teams, and surveillance teams. This list does not include consumer drones designed primarily for photography, such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro or the DJI Mini 5 Pro.

While this doesn't sound ideal for consumer drones, I believe it is hopeful. There's no guarantee that this ban will remain in place forever, and as consumers, all we can do is hope that one day, DJI drones will be ably to fly freely in the U.S. once again.

Your DJI drone still gets firmware updates

If you currently own a DJI drone and are worried your quadcopter will stop receiving firmware updates, don't fret. The FCC has confirmed that existing foreign-made drones — including those from DJI, Autel and Potensic — will continue receiving firmware/software updates as well as security patches, at least until January 1, 2027.

In a statement published by the FCC on January 21, 2026, its Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) noted that though on December 22, 2025, it had decided to stop existing drones from receiving these critical updates, this has now been temporary waived.

There's another bit of hope here, as the FCC has confirmed that it will revisit the issue before the January 1, 2027 deadline. It has left the door open and has said that there could be a possibility — after detailed re-evaluation — of an extension to the deadline or working towards a more permanent framework.

This is all we know so far. As always, if there are any further updates, I'll be sure to cover them.

More from Tom's Guide

• DJI drones are still available in the U.S. — here are the top-rated ones you can buy right now
• Best drones in 2026
• US bans foreign-made drones including those by DJI — here’s what it means for you

If you’ve ever lost a drone in water, my condolences. While on land, the ubiquitous ‘return to home’ feature found on most drones tends to work reliably, the opposite is true when flying a drone from any sort of watercraft. Fortunately, HoverAir is here to ensure no drone sinks to Davey Jones’ locker ever again.

The new HoverAir Aqua, announced at CES 2026, is a completely waterproof (IPX67-rated) drone that is easily spottable thanks to its bright orange color, and which gently floats along the surface. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

HoverAir Aqua: Price and availability

The HoverAir Aqua drone is live on IndieGoGo right now, with an early-bird price of $999 for the standard combo. Said combo includes the drone, battery, a waterproof bag, and a repair kit.

It also comes with a waterproof, arm-mountable controller for managing take-offs and landings from the comfort of a wakeboard, surfboard, boogie board, stand-up paddle board… you get the idea.

HoverAir Aqua: A light yet capable drone

Lightweight (under 250 g) and easy to fly, the HoverAir Aqua is capable of capturing 4K capture at up to 100 fps for a slow motion effect using a 1/2.8-inch sensor (similar in size to what you’d find in a modern smartphone).

It also offers all the handy follow-me features found in the brand’s lineup of land-based compact drones, like the HoverAir X1 Pro. The Aqua also boasts 128GB of onboard storage and a nifty 1.6-inch AMOLED screen built into the top of the device.

With an emphasis on helping outdoor enthusiasts document their adventures, from mountain top to forest floor, the Aqua isn’t just waterproof, it’s also designed to withstand all the bumps and bruises of life in the great outdoors.

HoverAir Aqua: Lots of tracking modes and long flight times

The HoverAir Aqua can take off from land or sea with a single press of the drone’s top button. You can even toss it in the air to start a flight. However, you’ll want to select your flying mode first. Options include follow tracking (noted above), orbital tracking, birds-eye tracking, and many more (there are 15 total).

The average flight time for the HoverAir Acqua is a respectable 23 minutes. Better yet, the battery is swappable. A full recharge takes roughly 55 minutes.

HoverAir Aqua: Solid speed and wind resistance

Of course, it can get pretty windy when you’re scaling peaks or out on the high seas, which is why the HoverAir Acqua boasts an impressive wind-resistance rating of up to 33 knots. It can also cruise at speeds up to 34 mph, which is, coincidentally, right around the top speed I tend to snowboard at.

HoverAir Aqua: ‘Turtle flip’ feature

Okay, so the HoverAir Aqua floats on water, but what if you accidentally land it upside down in the wet stuff? Worry not! A nifty self-correcting ‘turtle flip’ mode rights the drone in one swift, and splash-inducing movement.

It may sound far-fetched, but based on my CES demo of the features, it works remarkably well.

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If there's anything we've learned from 2025, it's that consumer drones are evolving rapidly and that there are still unchartered territories for manufacturers to explore. 2025 saw the introduction of the most powerful and safest mini quadcopter yet, the DJI Mini 5 Pro, as well as the most advanced camera drone yet, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, with its 100MP Hasselblad camera and the ability to shoot 6K/30fps video.

This year also introduced a new drone category, and one that's never been done before. The Antigravity A1 became the world's first-ever 360° drone, utilizing the same cutting-edge tech found in the Insta360 X5 camera. But it wasn't just the skies drones continued to dominate: the HoverAir Aqua became the world's first waterproof drone, making it perfect for water sports.

But could 2026 top 2025 when it comes to drones? As someone who tests the best drones day in and day out, I can't wait to see what the coming year holds. Given that excitement, I thought I'd write down my predictions for 2026, and it'll be fun to look back on it and see what came true.

All of this is speculation, and information in this article should be taken with a pinch of salt.

On December 23, 2025, the FCC banned the import and sale of any new foreign-made drones and components, noting that any entity "posing an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons" would be added to a "Covered List" going forward. Consumers anywhere else, outside of the U.S., will still be able to buy new drones from foreign manufacturers.

Prediction #1: More 360° drones

Antigravity is a new brand "incubated" by Insta360. Insta360 is one of the best 360 camera brands, with an unchecked dominance over the 360 camera market for the last few years. Until now. In July, DJI launched its first-ever 360° camera, the DJI Osmo 360, perhaps in anticipation of the Antigravity A1 (which was heavily rumored back then). GoPro also decided to play catch up, launching the excellent 8K GoPro MAX2 360 camera, although there's no inkling that GoPro wants to venture into the drones market with that tech right now.

DJI is yet to come out with its own 360° quadcopter, and many rumors circulating online indicate the imminent launch of the DJI Avata 360. The Avata lineup consists of the brand's immersive, first-person view (FPV) drones, so it won't surprise me if the Avata 360 is the next to launch. I can imagine other brands, like Potensic and HoverAir, will probably want to jump on the 360° bandwagon too, but they don't currently have action cameras that already features that tech, so it's unlikely.

I'm looking forward to seeing DJI's 360° drone. It'll probably feature 8K/30fps video (even better if it's 60fps and it upstages the Antigravity A1), and be accompanied by FPV goggles (something even better than the DJI Goggles N3) and a motion controller. And a better app! The DJI Fly app is good but the brand's 360° drone will require a proper editing app, such as DJI Mimo.

Prediction #2: Even more immersive flying

The Antigravity A1 is a fantastic 360° drone, but could we see improvements made to it in 2026? Surely Antigravity will want to release another drone as soon as possible to stay ahead of the competition (DJI, mostly), and in my exclusive interview with Antigravity's Product Lead, Buu said, "The A1 is just the beginning."

So, what could be next for immersive flying? I can't imagine a successor to the A1 will come out so quickly, but maybe there will be new accessories for us to play with. What I would love to see — from DJI, Antigravity or anyone, really — is haptic feedback in motion controllers.

Haptic feedback is found in Sony's PS5 DualSense controllers, as an example, and it's one of my favorite things about my gamepad. FPV flying is already well-refined but I believe it could be made even better. Pop some haptic feedback and vibrations into controllers and let users feel the proximity of walls or the force of the wind in their hands.

Prediction #3: Waterproof drones make a splash

While I haven't personally tested it yet, I've been intrigued by the HoverAir Aqua, a 100% waterproof self-flying drone that can land on and takeoff from the surface of the water. According to the campaign page, the Aqua can withstand winds up to 34mph, making it the ideal quadcopter for water sports.

At the time of writing, the Aqua is one of a kind, and faces no competition from any of the brand's rivals. Most consumer drones aren't waterproof and I wouldn't advise flying any in heavy downpour, and snowy or stormy conditions. I think we could we see more waterproof drones from the likes of DJI and Potensic.

Any waterproof drone will need to sport a hydrophobic, anti-corrosive design, something the Aqua already does. But it shouldn't be too hard as this technology already exists out in the world.

Prediction #4: Budget king goes pro

This year, we finally saw a proper contender that went toe-to-toe with DJI's mini drones, and that's the Potensic Atom 2. Worthy of being considered the best DJI Mini 4K alternative, the Atom 2 is a beast, thanks to its ability to capture 48MP images, record stable 4K/30fps footage with its three-axis mechanical gimbal and 1/2-inch CMOS sensor.

But Potensic's lineup feels like it's still in the infancy stage, as the brand makes only budget, sub-250g quadcopters. I predict the brand will want to enter the big leagues and come up with a drone that challenges the likes of the DJI Air 3S. Right now, there aren't very many alternatives to DJI's prosumer lineup — and there will need to be, as the FCC banned the import and sale of any new foreign-made drones and components as of December 23 2025.

I predict either Potensic or another non-DJI brand will launch a big drone (or at least announce it in 2026) that will be a force to reckon with.

Looking ahead...

Everything in this article is, of course, speculation and should be taken with a pinch of salt, but hey, it's fun to ponder over what the future holds, isn't it? Rest assured that as and when any drone announcements happen in 2026, I'll be covering them all. Until then, I wish you all happy holidays and a restful break, and I'll see you soon.

More from Tom's Guide

• Best drones in 2025
• Just got a drone for Christmas 2025? Take to the skies with these tips from an expert
• I reviewed every drone that came out in 2025: these are the best photos and videos I’ve taken

Happy holidays, dear reader! I hope you've been enjoying time off from work, recharging your batteries, and are happy with however you've chosen to spend the holidays. Downtime from work means you've got time to take your camera or drone out for a spin and be at one with nature.

If you know me or are familiar with my work as a senior reviews writer at Tom's Guide, you'll know that not only do I adore anything related to photography, but I review the best drones and best cameras day in and day out. Few things make me happier than being able to see the world from a bird's eye view.

While 2024 was a great year for drones, 2025 has arguably been better — trust me, I'd know, given that I've reviewed every drone that came out this year. DJI has continued to set new standards with every release, while a new 360-degree drone from Insta360's Antigravity joined the fight. I've taken many videos and photos on every 2025 quadcopter, so as I did last year, I've rounded up my favorite shots. Welcome to my Drone Photography Wrapped 2025!

On December 23, 2025, the FCC banned the import and sale of any new foreign-made drones and components, noting that any entity "posing an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons" would be added to a "Covered List" going forward. Consumers anywhere else, outside of the U.S., will still be able to buy new drones from foreign manufacturers.

Every drone I've tested this year

• DJI Flip : $499 / £369 @ Amazon
• DJI Mavic 4 Pro : $2,699 / £1,879 @ Amazon
• DJI Mini 5 Pro : $759 / £689 @ Amazon
• DJI Neo 2 : $319 @ Adorama / £209 @ Amazon
• DJI Goggles N3 : $229 @ Adorama / £229 @ Amazon
• Antigravity A1 : $1,599 @ Adorama / £1,219 @ Amazon
• HoverAir X1 Pro : $499 / £459 @ Amazon
• HoverAir X1 ProMax : $699 / £639 @ Amazon
• Potensic Atom 2 : $329 / £299 @ Amazon

My best videos on drones

January 2025 was a fantastic month for one reason: DJI came out with the DJI Flip, and as soon as I tested it, I knew it was the best drone for beginners. I loved its propeller guards which give beginner pilots reassurance when flying in tight spaces, detailed and hi-res 48MP stills, and 4K/60fps video. I also adore that it looks like a droid from Star Wars.

2025 also saw DJI set a new gold standard for mini drones with the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Massively improving on its predecessor by introducing a large 1-inch sensor for improved low-light performance, better obstacle avoidance, 225° gimbal rotation, and more packed into a compact body, the Mini 5 Pro is a formidable drone, and one I struggled to put down.

But of course, beginner, amateur and casual pilots weren't the only ones who had all the fun this year. For prosumers and professional content creators, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro was (and still is) the quadcopter to get. Although pricey, the Mavic 4 Pro is worth every cent if you want best-in-class 100MP Hasselblad-powered stills, 6K/30fps video, and a rotating gimbal.

I've captured some of my best footage on the Mavic 4 Pro — primarily because I took it to the beach. But also because thanks to its peerless image stabilization and three-axis mechanical gimbal, I could capture shake-free footage even in extremely windy conditions.

Alongside being a great year for aerial photographers and videographers, 2025 was lovely for those who just wanted to have fun, either solo or with others. It's the year I started enjoying DJI's QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes even more. My partner's family and I took the Mavic 4 Pro to the beach and had a lot of fun with the QuickShot modes, and it helped us create memories we will remember forever.

I've always been a fan of FPV (first-person view) headsets, and I never skip a video of a pilot flying their drone through one of these — so I'm very lucky that I got to try one out myself this year. I reviewed the DJI Goggles N3 paired with the DJI Neo, and it made me realize that I don't want to fly drones with traditional controllers if I can fly them via FPV headsets instead.

The Goggles N3 and the RC Motion 3 motion controller make flying much more immersive, and give you more control over your drone, enabling you to fly in tight spaces and make tricky maneuvers. It's some of the most fun I've had testing a product — and when you're having fun while working, it doesn't really feel like work, does it?

My Drone Photography Wrapped 2025 would be incomplete without me talking about the brand new Antigravity A1, the world's first-ever 360-degree drone. Antigravity is "incubated" by Insta360, so it utilizes the same tech found in the brand's 360-degree cameras, and it's a feat of engineering.

8K/30fps aerial video that can be reframed to 4K in post-production while maintaining hi-res quality is a game-changed for quadcopters, and it shows that DJI needs to pull up its socks. The possibilities are endless, and pilots can get super creative thanks to the ability to capture every single angle. The A1 is a triumph, and I can't wait to see what Antigravity (and DJI) does in 2026.

My best photos on drones

Drones aren't just about videography, of course, and I captured some fantastic stills on this year's quadcopters, as you can see in the gallery above. I especially enjoyed using the DJI Mavic 4 Pro for photography because, well, it's basically a Hasselblad with wings. The drone packs a whopping 100MP camera, making it the best camera drone out there (and I think that'll be hard to beat).

As someone who reviews drones for a living, I can confidently say that 2025 has been the strongest and most exciting year for quadcopters yet — and I have high hopes for 2026. Perhaps we'll see more 360-degree drones to give the Antigravity A1 competition, perhaps there will be more FPV flying ones. Regardless of what happens, rest assured that I will be covering them as and when they come out.

And there you have it, folks. Thanks for tuning into my Drone Photography Wrapped 2025. I wish you all restful holidays, and I will see you next year.

More from Tom's Guide

• Best drones in 2025
• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners
• I’ve reviewed nearly 30 cameras this year: these are the best photos I’ve taken on instant, film and mirrorless

Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you've all been having a restful break from work, and are enjoying lots of chocolate and sweet treats. I'm sure many of you have either bought or have been gifted some fantastic presents and tech that you can't wait to try out. If you just got a drone for Christmas, congratulations and welcome to the club.

Aerial photography is extremely exciting and it has been a great year for drones, but it can be a little overwhelming if this is your first time owning a quadcopter. If that is the case, you've come to the right place. I oversee the drones coverage here at Tom's Guide, and I personally test and review the best drones nearly every month.

I'm a licensed drone pilot, based in the U.K., and I'm here to tell you about the things you should do before taking to the skies for the first time — from registering your quadcopter and charging it up, to conducting pre-flight checks, amongst other things. Once you've taken your first flight, let me know in the comments what you thought of it!

1. Register your drone

One of the first things you need to do when you unbox your shiny new drone is register it with your local governing body. In the U.K., where I'm based, you need to register your quadcopter with the C.A.A., and if you're in the U.S., head over to the F.A.A. website for registration.

Bear in mind, registering your drone depends on the type you have. Some drones, such as the DJI Flip and the DJI Neo 2, weigh less than 8.81oz / 250g. Because of their light weight, you don't necessarily need to register them, as the rules are more relaxed. However, if your drone weighs more than that, such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro or the DJI Mini 5 Pro (when using Intelligent Flight batteries), you definitely need to register it.

2. Check the weather

Once you've registered your drone, it's time to go flying! Exciting, but hold your horses. What's the weather looking like outside? It's vital that you check the weather before heading out. You can use the weather app on your smartphone or use a website, like the Met Office in the U.K. or the National Weather Service in the U.S. to check not just the weather, but also how windy it is.

Different drones have different wind resistance levels, so it's crucial that you not fly if it's stormy or extremely windy outside. Most consumer drones aren't weather-sealed either, so be mindful not to fly your quadcopter when it's raining. Sunny and cloudless conditions are ideal, of course.

3. Charge your batteries

Once the weather is looking ideal, check and charge your drone batteries. Most consumer drones can fly for under 40 minutes on a single charge — some even less. It is, then, very important that you carry spare batteries, especially if you're heading far from home. Trust me, there are few things worse than when you drive somewhere to fly, take your drone out, and realize you have only 10% battery remaining.

4. Update your drone's firmware

When you unbox your drone, bear in mind that it may not have the latest firmware installed. More often than not, it'll be an out-of-date firmware, as the drones are boxed up weeks or months in advance of you receiving them. Use your drone's companion app to update the firmware of the drone as well as the controller.

Updating the firmware ensures that the drone and controller function as intended, and that their safety features are up to mark and functioning as well as they can be.

5. Conduct a pre-flight check

Now that you've done the first steps and are out in the field, it's time to conduct a pre-flight check. Even though I've been flying drones for years, this is something I always do, and it helps ensure that your drone doesn't malfunction mid-flight, preventing crashes.

What does this involve exactly? It's simple, so don't worry. You must check all of the drone's parts. This means you should check that the gimbal can move freely, and ensure the propellers aren't damaged. Propellers can be delicate and can get damaged if you drone bumps into something. Most drones come with spare replacement propellers, and it's fairly easy to replace them as they utilize a lock and twist mechanism. There will be detailed directions in the drone's manual.

Sometimes, you'll get a notification on the drone's companion app to recalibrate the compass and gimbal, so don't ignore it. This ensures you drone is able to fly back home accurately. Last but not least, check the drone has enough storage, and carry a spare microSD card if your quadcopter supports it.

6. Keep an eye on your drone

Have you taken off yet? Nice, congratulations on your first takeoff! Now, it's important to keep your drone in visual line of sight (VLOS). Regardless of where you're flying — whether it's an open field or a cityscape — you should be able to see your drone at all times.

This is a legal requirement in most countries, and it also helps you gauge obstacles, people, vehicles, etc. The last bit is especially important if your drone doesn't feature obstacle avoidance, as a few don't.

7. Utilize your drone's safety features

Your drone is packed with safety features, especially if you got a drone that's more on the expensive side of things. Some quadcopters, like the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Neo 2, feature omnidirectional obstacle avoidance which means they can either bypass or brake in front of obstacles.

You should always utilize these safety features, especially if you're in a sticky situation or are unsure of what to do. For instance, 99% of drones feature something called "return-to-home." This means that your drone can automatically return to its last-known takeoff position when you hit the button, or battery is running low. My motto? When in doubt, RTH — and so should you.

8. Keep an eye on your controller

Your drone's controller, or your smartphone, shows lots of vital information and you should keep an eye on it. This information includes but is not limited to wind speed, number of connected satellites, signal strength, height and distance, drone battery level, and more. Depending on the manufacturer, the controller will also display flight warnings.

9. Grab some accessories

Trust me when I say that once you've got a taste for drone flying, you want to do everything you can to enhance that experience. Luckily, there are plenty of accessories available out there, and it's definitely worth investing in them. Whether that's a landing/launch pad or a first-person view (FPV) headset for immersive flying, get some accessories for yourself.

My top recommendation, if you own the DJI Avata 2, DJI Neo 2 or the DJI Neo, is to buy the DJI Goggles N3 and the DJI RC Motion 3 controller. These FPV gadgets make flying more intuitive and immersive, and I enjoyed it so much that it made me not want to use traditional controllers again!

10. Stay away from wildlife

Another important thing to remember while flying a drone: do not disturb wildlife. Animals are sensitive to loud sounds, and we shouldn't be disturbing them in their habitat. You can fly your drone at a distance, of course, where you're sure the loud noise isn't rattling them.

This applies to birds too. Birds may want to protect their nests and might get territorial, so they may see your drone as a threat. It is crucial that you withdraw your drone and promptly return to home in case you're in a pickle. Again, remember: when in doubt, RTH.

11. Have fun!

Last but not least, remember to have fun! Aerial photography is extremely exciting and it can help you get creative. Few things compare to the joy you feel when you see the world from a bird's eye view. Experiment with different photography and videography styles, have fun in a group of people with QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes, just go for it — as long as you're being safe and following the law, of course.

More from Tom's Guide

• Best drones in 2025
• I tested the DJI Neo 2 and it’s so good that I don’t want to go anywhere without it
• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners

On December 23 2025, the Federal Communications Commission made it impossible for U.S. customers to buy new foreign-made drones — specifically, those made by Chinese manufacturers, including DJI, the biggest drone maker in the world right now.

This ordeal has been going on for some time now, and this final blow comes shortly after the FCC unanimously voted to give itself the ability to retroactively ban devices and radio components in November.

The Public Notice released by the FCC this week states that the import and sale of all new Chinese-made drone models will be blocked, and manufacturers such as DJI will be added to a "Covered List" of entities pegged as "posing an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons."

Although DJI has released many new drones this year, the DJI Mini 5 Pro, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and the DJI Neo 2 haven't been available to buy directly through DJI since launch — and that's due to the looming ban, which has now become a reality.

The company's forthcoming drones will likely continue to be sold in other parts of the world for now but it's surely a blow to U.S. consumers.

What does this mean for existing drone owners?

If you already own a DJI or other foreign-made drone, you don't need to worry about anything right now. You can still fly it, legally. The FCC has emphasized that the ruling does not affect quadcopters that have already been purchased, and it doesn't impact device models that have previously received FCC authorization either.

Existing drone owners can continue to fly their quadcopters while retailers can continue to sell models approved earlier this year or previously through the FCC’s equipment authorization process. This, technically, would mean that the rumored DJI Osmo Pocket 4 will be released to the American audiences, as it has been formally registered with the FCC — but we don't have any official confirmation or release date yet.

DJI should continue to provide DJI Care Refresh and repair services for existing drones and devices that have already been approved by the FCC, too. So, according to the FCC ruling on December 23, the new restrictions would apply only to new device models going forward.

Will this impact emergency services?

Most of the best drones are made by the likes of DJI, HoverAir, Potensic and Antigravity. These are all Chinese brands, and the FCC's ban will impact them, making existing stock either scarcely available and new stock not available at all.

This will, in time, impact emergency services and first responders who utilize drones to get a bird's eye view on the situation they're tackling.

The infographic above, created by DJI, shows the impact of the drone ban on American first responders. The lack of American-made drones makes the situation worse, as there are virtually no alternatives. There are some jarring numbers in the infographic too, such as:

• "Austin Police Department estimated that replacing its drone fleet — comprised entirely of DJI products — would cost $120,000"
• "The cost to replace the grounded drones in Florida is estimated at $200m"
• "'Compliant' alternatives are harder to access and can take up to 6 months for delivery."

The drone ban, then, will deprive countless individuals and professionals of essential equipment that has become fundamental to not only workplace safety, but operational efficiency too, and it will cost a lot of money (and time) to replace foreign-made technology.

DJI's statement on the drone ban

Today, a DJI spokesperson released the following statement:

"DJI is disappointed by the Federal Communications Commission’s action today to add foreign‑made drones to the Covered List. While DJI was not singled out, no information has been released regarding what information was used by the Executive Branch in reaching its determination.

"As the industry leader, DJI has advocated for an open, competitive market that benefits all US consumers and commercial users, and will continue to do so. DJI products are among the safest and most secure on the market, supported by years of reviews conducted by U.S. government agencies and independent third parties. Concerns about DJI’s data security have not been grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism, contrary to the principles of an open market.

"Today’s development will not affect customers who already own DJI products. These existing products can continue to be purchased and operated as usual. The FCC’s fact sheet also indicates that new products may, in the future, be cleared for launch based on determinations made by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

"DJI remains committed to the U.S. market. We are deeply grateful to users across the country who spoke up to share how DJI technology supports their work and their communities. We will keep our community informed as more information becomes available."

What happens going forward?

The FCC says that exceptions may be granted if the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security deems a specific component or drone does not pose a security risk — but how that will be determined remains to be seen as the FCC has not confirmed the implementation and extent of it.

December 23 marks a major milestone in the United States' history, and the drone ban is sure to impact hundreds of thousands of consumers and professionals. While existing drones are allowed to fly freely, we do not know how long that will be allowed for, either.

Do you own a drone? Were you planning to buy one? Have your say on what this means for you in the comments box below.

More from Tom's Guide

• DJI drone ban — what you need to know
• Best drones in 2025
• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners

The king of the skies, DJI, has had a massive year packed with action camera, 360-camera and drone launches. I had an inkling it was going to be a good year for drones when the DJI Flip came out in January, and the Chinese manufacturer hopes to close the year big with the DJI Neo 2, the successor to the one-year-old Neo.

The DJI Neo 2 could be the brand's last big launch before its drones are (potentially) banned in the U.S. And it's going out with a bang.

I've spent a couple weeks testing the Neo 2, and while I was anticipating minor improvements, I didn't expect DJI to go above and beyond to deliver the quintessential flying experience for beginners and enthusiasts. The Neo 2 feels like the grown-up version of its predecessor, packed with features you don't usually find in budget drones.

The Neo 2 rectifies the original Neo's weaknesses while adding even more features: 4K/60fps video, two-axis mechanical gimbal offering better stabilization, Gesture Control, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, bigger internal storage, (slightly) longer flight time, and lots more. If you're thinking of picking up a selfie drone, I can't think of one better than the Neo 2 —here's why.

What makes the Neo 2 different from the Neo?

I've given you a snapshot of the upgrades introduced in the DJI Neo 2 so let's talk about that in more detail. Firstly, both the Neo 2 and the Neo feature the same 12MP 1/2-inch CMOS sensor, with the only difference being the aperture (f/2.2 on the Neo 2 versus f/2.8 on the Neo). The Neo 2, however, has received a bump in video quality and it can now shoot 4K/60fps (versus 4K/30fps on the Neo). Also, the Neo 2 has better stabilization thanks to the new and improved two-axis mechanical gimbal.

The biggest upgrade lies in the Neo 2's omnidirectional obstacle avoidance powered by forward-facing LiDAR and a downward infrared sensing system. This means that it can either brake in front of or bypass obstacles in all directions — something that was missing from the Neo. This is a fantastic safety feature not just for beginners but for advanced pilots, too.

Internal storage has been increased from 22GB on the Neo to 49GB on the Neo 2 but at the cost of a microSD card slot, so you can't expand the Neo 2's storage. And while the Neo 2 can be flown with a controller or smartphone, it can also be flown hands-free via Gesture Control, making you feel like a Jedi Master!

Oh, and the Neo 2 comes fitted with a Digital Transceiver (depending on the variant you buy) which lets you connect it with various DJI controllers and the DJI Goggles N3 FPV headset.

Hands-free flying like never before

Now that you know the differences between the DJI Neo 2 and the DJI Neo, let's talk more about what makes the former the best budget drone on the market today.

One thing I love about the Neo 2 — and something the Neo didn't have — is Gesture Control. You need to enable this via the DJI Fly app on your smartphone, and once that's done, you can use your hands to control the drone. You know, like a Jedi (or a Sith).

A sensor present next to the drone's gimbal recognizes and detects your hand movements and mimics them. Sounds great in theory, but does it work in the real world? Oh yes it does.

I had a lot of fun playing around with this feature, and I was able to guide the drone up and down, and move it side to side with ease. You can see how impressive it is (and how goofy I look) in the YouTuve clip above.

The Neo 2's tiny screen next to the gimbal is a winner, too. This is a new addition so it wasn't present on the Neo, and the only way to tell what mode the Neo was in was through LED lamps and an automated voice prompt.

The Neo 2's screen, on the other hand, shows you the flight mode and parameters, which can be changed on the fly via buttons on its body, so there really is no need for a controller or smartphone (unless you want to fly in Manual).

Combine this with Gesture Control and this is what hands-free flying truly looks like.

Avoiding anything in its way

I have flown and tested many, many drones, and one of my favorite features — usually reserved for pricier quadcopters — is obstacle avoidance. This can be either forward-facing or omnidirectional, but the latter is obviously better, as it heavily negates the possibility of your drone crashing. It's a must-have feature for beginner and advanced pilots alike.

Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is something I've seen on the DJI Mini 5 Pro, the DJI Air 3S, and the DJI Mavic 4 Pro — much pricier drones that not everyone can necessarily afford. As a result, it's excellent news that the DJI Neo 2 has it, even though the Neo didn't.

This upgrade alone makes the Neo 2 a far better choice over its predecessor, and every other selfie drone, like the HoverAir X1 and the HoverAir X1 Pro, which feature obstacle avoidance but are more expensive.

Solo or together, this drone is fun all the time

When I'm testing drones for work, I usually fly them on my own — unless it's an FPV headset and I need a spotter, in which instance my partner tags along. (Rather, I drag her out with me.) Flying drones can sometimes get lonely, but the DJI Neo 2 helps combat that feeling of loneliness by simply being a fantastic drone for solo pilots as well as pilots flying with other people.

The Neo 2 features DJI's trademark QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes, such as Rocket, Spiral, Dronie, Circle, Follow, and so on. You can take timed selfie shots, too — perfect for group photos — and create MasterShots, where the drone records QuickShot modes and stitches them together, depending on the environment.

And you know what I love? The fact that Gesture Control feels like magic. My partner tried it, as did two of my friends and all of them were delighted by it, and it made flying the Neo 2 in a group of people a lot more fun! The Neo 2 has made an already formidable drone even better, and honestly? It's a must-have for all pilots.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve been testing the DJI Neo 2 and it improves on its predecessor in every way — it’s now my top pick for the best budget drone
• Best drones in 2025
• I have never seen a drone accessory as cool as this one — and it’s the one thing DJI is missing

DJI has had a fantastic year so far, and we haven't reached the end yet. It started with the DJI Flip launching in January, and it is (almost) ending with the DJI Neo 2, which landed on shelves in November. The Neo 2 succeeds the Neo, and it has dethroned its predecessor as the best drone for people on a budget — easily, too.

The first drone I ever reviewed here at Tom's Guide was the Neo, so it holds a special place in my heart... which it now has to share with the Neo 2, simply because the second-gen drone is incredible. I've spent the last couple of weeks putting the Neo 2 through a battery of tests, and comparing it to its predecessor — and there's a clear winner.

If you're looking for a selfie drone that's budget-friendly and easy to fly, the Neo lineup is a great choice. But which of the two should you buy? You've come to the right place for an answer to that. I'll help you make the right choice in my DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo face-off.

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Specs compared

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Price & availability

The DJI Neo came out in September 2024, and today, it retails for $199 / £169 at Amazon, and you can find it on sale quite often. A year later, the DJI Neo 2 was announced on 13 November 2025, and it is available for $319 / £209. If you choose to buy the former, it's available in a light gray matte finish while the latter is dressed in a dark gray one (similar to the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Mavic 4 Pro).

The Neo 2 is a little more expensive than its predecessor and I feel like that's a justified price increase, simply because it packs more tech and better features, such as 4K/60fps, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, Gesture Control, bigger storage, better battery life, and more. I'll discuss all of these features in detail in this face-off.

However, for those of you based in the U.S., it is important to note that the Neo 2 isn't officially available through DJI, and you'll have to do business with third-party retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart and Adorama, instead. This isn't anything new, and it's something we've seen with the Mini 5 Pro and the Mavic 4 Pro as well, as the DJI ban in the U.S. gets closer to becoming a reality soon.

This also means that you can't buy a DJI Care Refresh support package for the Neo 2 if you're in the U.S. so if your drone gets damaged, DJI may not be able to help you. The good news, though, is the the original Neo is still officially available through DJI. That means you can get Care Refresh for it, making it the better choice if you don't necessarily want the latest hot tech (and it's still a very, very capable drone).

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Design

As I mentioned earlier, the DJI Neo 2 comes in a dark gray shade — a design choice DJI has opted for all of its recent drone releases — while the DJI Neo comes in a light one. The Neo 2 looks more premium, in my opinion, but I wouldn't write off the Neo so quickly. Both drones are built extremely well, and even though they're lightweight, they don't sound or feel hollow.

Both the Neo 2 and the Neo are highly compact, and they're DJI's lightest drones. The Neo 2 weighs 5.32oz (151g) without the Digital Transceiver (more on this soon) or 5.64oz (160g) with the new device. The Neo, on the other hand, is a little lighter at 4.76oz. Because of the compact form factor, neither drone needs to be registered with the F.A.A. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K., and other airspace governing bodies.

In terms of their size, the Neo 2 measures 6.73 x 5.78 x 1.61 inches (without Digital Transceiver) or 6.73 x 6.57 x 2.12 inches (with Digital Transceiver), while the Neo is smaller at 6.18 x 5.11 x 1.9 inches. Both drones are highly compact and easy to travel with.

So, what does the Digital Transceiver on the Neo 2 do? It comes pre-installed on certain versions of the drone, and it basically lets you connect the Neo 2 to different DJI accessories, such as the DJI RC controllers and the DJI Goggles N3 FPV headset. You don't necessarily need the Digital Transceiver, though, as without it, the Neo 2 can be flown via a smartphone or the buttons on its body.

You'll also notice that the Neo 2 now has a screen next to the gimbal, and this is a fantastic addition. The screen displays all the settings you’ve adjusted and the QuickShot Intelligent Flight mode, displayed in bright black and white colors. It's easy to read and I much prefer this over the Neo's voice assistant and LED lamps indicating the active settings.

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Features

A big difference between the DJI Neo 2 and the DJI Neo lies in their ability to avoid obstacles. The first-gen Neo didn't feature any form of obstacle avoidance, but the Neo 2 does. It is now equipped with LiDAR and a downward infrared sensing system, both of which power its omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. This means that the Neo 2 can either bypass or brake in front of objects, reassuring all pilots — beginners as well as veterans.

The lack of obstacle avoidance is one of the Neo's biggest weaknesses, but the Neo 2 has rectified it, and I'd recommend the Neo 2 over the Neo any day based on this one feature alone. Safety while flying is paramount.

Another big selling point of the Neo 2 is that you can fly it entirely hands-free, thanks to Gesture Control. This has to be enabled via the DJI Fly app before you can use it. Once that's done, you can use your palm(s) to move the drone up and down, side to side, and even increase or decrease its distance to you. It works very well, as you can see in the video above.

Internal storage has also received a massive bump with the Neo 2 boasting 49GB (versus 22GB on the Neo), but the downside is that the Neo 2 doesn't have a microSD card slot for storage expansion — which the original Neo does. This can become a problem fairly quickly, especially if you're shooting in 4K all the time. While you can use the DJI Fly app to offload footage on the go, it can take time depending on the size of your files, so the Neo 2 concedes a point to the Neo here.

Additionally, wind resistance has been bumped up from 8 m/s (17.9mph) on the Neo to 10/7 m/s (23.94mph) on the Neo 2. It's important to note, though, that both drone are still susceptible to gusts of wind, due to their light weight, so be wary when you're flying. But because the Neo 2 features a two-axis mechanical gimbal (versus one-axis on the Neo) and DJI's RockSteady technology, the footage is much more stable in very windy conditions.

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Photo & video quality

Both the DJI Neo 2 and the DJI Neo utilize a single camera to capture great 12MP photos. Their 1/2-inch CMOS sensors aren't very different from each other, but the Neo 2 has a wider f/2.2 aperture lens (versus f/2.8 on the Neo). This will result in better low-light performance as the camera can use the aperture to let more light in, allowing it to keep to lower ISO values. The Neo 2's ISO range has been bumped up to 100-12,800 too (versus 100-6,400 on the Neo).

Neither the Neo 2 nor the Neo can shoot RAW photos or videos in D-Log (which pricier DJI drones can), so these aren't exactly "serious" photography quadcopters — which is acceptable, because they're very cheap and are intended more for casual flying and selfies.

The biggest difference between the two drones' imaging capabilities lies in their frame rates. While the Neo can shoot 4K/30fps video, the Neo 2 can shoot smoother 4K/60fps. The video above was shot on the Neo 2, and you can see how lovely it looks, in terms of both color and movement.

Both the Neo and Neo 2 are great selfie drones, perfect for capturing memories, as I did when I was testing the OG Neo. My partner and I took the drone by the river and had a lot of fun with the drone's QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes (the drone records short-form videos before returning to its takeoff point).

There are several QuickShot modes on both drones, such as Circle, Rocket, Follow, Spotlight, etc., and the Neo 2 adds Cycling Follow, Skiing Follow, and SelfieShot to the array. Have a look at all the stunning (and fun!) footage I shot on both drones in my full DJI Neo 2 review and DJI Neo review.

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Battery life

There isn't a huge difference between the DJI Neo 2's and the DJI Neo's flight times, with the former being able to fly just one minute longer between charges. The Neo 2 is rated at 19 minutes while the Neo is rated at 18 minutes... which, in my opinion, doesn't feel like a deciding factor when you're purchasing either drone.

The short battery lives come down to the Neo 2's and the Neo's light weight and compact body: there's not much else you can fit in there if you want to maintain the drones' diminutive statures. If it's any consolation, the pricier HoverAir X1 ($349) and the HoverAir X1 Pro ($499) — also selfie drones — can fly for just 11.5 minutes and 16 minutes respectively. You are, then, getting a great deal with either the Neo or the Neo 2.

DJI Neo 2 vs DJI Neo: Outlook

Overall winner: DJI Neo 2

If you want a drone that's easy to fly and can be flown hands-free, sports a premium design, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, bigger internal storage, and records smooth, stable 4K/60fps video, it's a no-brainer that you should get the DJI Neo 2. If you're on a tighter budget, though, and you aren't that bothered about having 60fps and 22GB of internal storage, or you want a microSD card slot, the DJI Neo is a better shout.

Both the Neo 2 and the Neo are extremely capable and spectacular drones. I gave both of them 4.5-stars in my reviews. Even though the Neo 2 improves on its predecessor and is the best budget drone today, the Neo is awesome too, and I'm sure you'd be satisfied with either.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve been testing the DJI Neo 2 and it improves on its predecessor in every way — this is the best budget drone you can buy
• I've been flying the DJI Neo for 10 months — here's my verdict (spoiler alert: it's underrated)
• Best drones in 2025

DJI continues to set new standards with every drone it releases, and the latest to join that lineup is the DJI Neo 2, successor to the one-year-old Neo. When I reviewed the Neo, I absolutely adored the little drone that could, and I have been flying it for more than a year now. I didn’t think DJI could pack even more cutting-edge technology into such a tiny drone, and yet it did.

The Neo 2 improves on its predecessor in nearly every way. It more-than-doubles the internal storage to 49GB, introduces 4K/60fps video, a two-axis mechanical gimbal, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, gesture control, stronger wind resistance, and more. It retains the Neo’s best features, such as the impressive tracking, and delivers the quintessential flying experience for beginner pilots on a budget.

Is it one of the best drones right now? Without a doubt. For the complete breakdown, read my full DJI Neo 2 review.

DJI Neo 2 review: Specs

DJI Neo 2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The successor to 2024's DJI Neo
• Who is it for? Beginner photographers looking for an easy-to-fly or selfie drone, and one that doesn’t break the bank
• How much does it cost? The DJI Neo 2 starts at $319 / £209
• What do we like? Improved camera performance and 4K/60fps video, bigger internal storage, impressive tracking and gesture controls, and omnidirectional obstacle avoidance
• What don’t we like? Battery life isn't the best and there's no MicroSD slot for expanding storage

DJI Neo 2 review: Price & availability

Launched on November 13, 2025, the DJI Neo 2 succeeds the DJI Neo which came out in September 2024. Priced a little higher than its predecessor, the Neo 2 starts at $319 / £209 for just the drone, with the Fly More Combo retailing for $419 / £289 — this bundle includes two Intelligent Flight Batteries and a two-way charging hub. There’s also a Motion Fly More Combo which costs $709 / £509 and includes the DJI Goggles N3 and a DJI RC Motion 3 controller.

The Neo 2 is the most budget-friendly selfie drone on the market right now, undercutting the HoverAir X1 ($329) and the HoverAir X1 Pro ($499) — and it outdoes both of them when it comes to performance.

You’ll notice that the U.S. prices are much higher than the U.K. prices. This is due to U.S. trade tariffs. Also, at the time of writing, DJI is facing federal issues in the U.S., meaning the Neo 2 isn’t officially supported in the States.

The Neo 2 is available in the U.S., but you can't buy it directly from DJI's website as the manufacturer doesn't currently support the product in the States. However, like the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, which became available to buy through Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, etc after launch, the Neo 2 is also available in the U.S. through third parties.

So, Americans can still get their hands on a Neo 2. What then? The bigger issue of DJI not officially marketing the product in the U.S. is lack of both short- and long-term support. As with other DJI products in the U.S. right now, you can't buy a DJI care plan for the Neo 2 — so what happens if it breaks? We also can’t guarantee that the DJI Fly app will continue work in the U.S. so American pilots should be cautious when buying the Neo 2.

We've yet to see an outcome in DJI's federal woes, but if this is enough to put you off buying the Neo 2, you can check out the original Neo, which is still supported officially by DJI in the U.S., or the HoverAir X1 if you want to be free of DJI's baggage entirely.

DJI Neo 2 review: Design

The DJI Neo 2 looks like the Neo all grown up. Now wrapped in dark grey colors just like the DJI Mini 5 Pro, the DJI Air 3S and the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, it looks great and more premium — and I love this design choice DJI has made.

One of the biggest differences between the Neo and the Neo 2 lies in the Digital Transceiver on the latter, which comes pre-installed on certain versions of the drone. This, basically, allows the Neo 2 to connect to different DJI accessories, such as the DJI RC-N3 controller and the DJI Goggles N3. You don’t necessarily need the Digital Transceiver, though, as without it, the Neo 2 can be flown via a smartphone or controller-free via the buttons on its body.

Although the colors have changed and a new device has been added, the Neo 2 retains the Neo’s sub-250g weight and small size. The Neo 2 measures 6.73 x 6.57 x 2.12 inches with the Digital Transceiver or 6.73 x 5.78 x 1.61 inches without it. Because of the inclusion of a two-axis mechanical gimbal (versus one-axis on the Neo), a bigger battery and more sensors for obstacle avoidance, the Neo 2 weighs 5.64oz (with Digital Transceiver) or 5.32oz (without Digital Transceiver). While it’s a little heavier than the Neo, its sub-250g weight means you don’t need to register the drone with the F.A.A. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K.

Build quality is sublime as always, and I’d expect nothing less from DJI. Even though the drone is tiny and lightweight, tapping on its body with my fingernails didn’t make its inside sound hollow, so rest assured that you’re getting bang for your buck.

DJI Neo 2 review: Controls

Similar to the first-gen model, the DJI Neo 2 can be flown hands-free and controller-free, so you don’t need to worry about spending more money on the DJI RC-N3 or DJI RC-2 controllers. Heck, you don’t even really need your smartphone for it! This is thanks to the three buttons on its body.

On the top, next to the camera, is the power button. On its side, you’ll find a pair of buttons, one of which serves as the takeoff button and the other lets you swap between different QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes, such as Follow, Circle, Rocket, etc., and holding the button lets you change the flying parameters too. This means that you can choose the flying distance and angle (wide, close, high).

All the buttons are easy to reach and press, and they give good tactile feedback when pressed. I thoroughly appreciate the addition of the third button to the Neo 2, as this meant that I didn’t need to pull out my phone to fire up the DJI Fly app and change settings through it. Hands-free flying has never felt better.

But of course, you can change the settings but how do you know which settings you’ve actually changed or selected? After all, you couldn’t do this on the Neo and the only way to know which QuickShot you’d selected was via the voice assistant telling you so or the LED lamps. Well, this is where my favorite upgrade to the Neo 2 comes into play: its tiny screen located next to the gimbal.

The screen displays all the settings you’ve adjusted and the QuickShot mode, displayed in bright black and white colors. I found it easy to read in nearly every lighting condition, whether that was in bright sunlight, in the dark, or on an overcast day.

And of course, the Neo 2 retains the Neo’s palm takeoff and landing technology, so if you place your hand under the Neo 2, it will land in your palm, making it very convenient and negating the need for a stable, rock-free surface.

DJI Neo 2 review: Features

Although the DJI Neo was a fantastic drone packed full of features ideal for beginner shooters, the DJI Neo 2 has improved on them, making it the best budget drone you can buy today.

Flight distance has remained the same (7 miles on both drones), but internal storage has more than doubled on the Neo 2. Instead of just 22GB on the Neo, the Neo 2 now features 49GB of internal storage.

This, however, comes at a major cost: there’s no microSD card slot to expand the storage anymore. Footage can fairly quickly be offloaded via the DJI Fly app, and transfer speeds have been amped up to 80mbps (versus 25mbps on the Neo), so you can transfer a decent amount of 4K/60fps video in under 10 minutes. But that's downtime you simply wouldn't need to take if you were able to keep switching out MicroSD cards.

Gimbal

The Neo featured a single-axis mechanical gimbal, which meant that even the slightest control movements would gravely affect the stability of the footage. The Neo 2, on the other hand, features an upgraded two-axis mechanical gimbal for tilting and rolling. This, when combined with the RockSteady electronic image stabilization (present on many DJI drones and action cameras), results in more stable footage and enables the Neo 2 to keep the horizon level while shooting.

Pricier drones usually feature three-axis mechanical gimbals which give you even more stability and creative freedom by allowing you to pan, tilt and roll — but like I said, they cost more. You’ll need to consider the DJI Flip ($439) or the Potensic Atom 2 ($329) if that’s a must-have for you.

Wind resistance

The Neo 2’s ability to resist strong winds has received an upgrade over its predecessor too. While the Neo could resist winds up to 8 m/s or 17.9mph (level 4), the Neo 2 takes it up a notch and can resist winds up to 10.7 m/s or 23.9mph (level 5). In my testing, the drone remained stable in very windy conditions, as my phone app noted that on one occasion, the wind speed was 15mph!

But keep in mind that because the Neo 2 is so lightweight, it is still susceptible to strong and sudden gusts of wind — just like the Neo. I recommend always keeping an eye on the drone when you’re flying it, and ensuring you don’t fly it too high to save it from gusts (at least when it’s extremely windy and unpredictable).

This is the same level of wind resistance you’ll find on pricier drones, such as the DJI Flip, the DJI Mini 4 Pro ($759), and the Potensic Atom 2, so it’s commendable that DJI has packed the same tech into the Neo 2.

Obstacle avoidance

One of my main criticisms of the Neo rested in the fact that it did not feature any form of obstacle avoidance — which, back then, didn’t feel like a major drawback considering the drone cost just $199. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Neo 2 features omnidirectional obstacle avoidance powered by forward-facing LiDAR and a downward infrared sensing system. This massively reduces the likelihood of potential crashes.

In my testing, the Neo 2 easily bypassed obstacles, such as trees and branches. It’s important to note that obstacle avoidance doesn’t work when using QuickShot modes, but the Neo 2’s propeller guards act as bumpers and protect the drone in case it flies into an object.

In the video above, you can see the drone bypass the massive tree. And although it looks like it’s stuck in the tree branches, it slowly gathers its bearings and makes its way past them. Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance will be especially useful when flying the drone through the DJI Goggles N3 FPV headset as it’ll enable you to move the Neo 2 more freely, and I can’t wait to try that.

The Neo 2’s return-to-home feature is also more refined now that it can avoid obstacles on its way back to you. You can either hit the RTH button on the RC-N3 controller or tap on it in the DJI Fly app, and the drone will promptly return to its last takeoff position when it’s low on battery too.

DJI Neo 2 review: Image quality

Unlike its more advanced family members, the DJI Neo 2 isn’t a professional drone camera, per se. It packs enough imaging prowess to suffice the needs of beginner or casual drone pilots. Featuring the same 1/2-inch CMOS sensor as its predecessor, the Neo 2 can capture 12MP images, and while that number might not sound like a lot, remember that 4K only needs around 8MP of resolution. It packs enough detail for sharing stills and video to social media.

The 119.8° field of view (16.5mm full frame equivalent) is wide and doesn’t add much corner distortion, making the Neo 2 great for capturing landscapes. Aperture is fixed at f/2.2 (versus f/2.8 on the Neo) and the drone has an ISO range of 100-12,800, resulting in slightly improved low-light performance. You can also adjust the Neo 2’s shutter speed (1/8000-1/10s) when using the DJI Fly app, giving manual shooters more control.

Images taken on the Neo 2 turn out well and detailed, as you can see in the shots of the Royal Crescent, Bath, U.K. above. The details in the historical building look great as you can clearly see each individual window pane. I love the look of the blue sky and clouds (captured right after it had rained) too, as well as the lush green grass.

The Neo 2 features plenty of QuickShot Intelligent Flight Modes (more on that soon), and one of them is SelfieShot. Through the DJI app, you can select the number of photos you want the drone to capture and the angle (medium, high, wide, etc.). The drone will then take the photos before returning to its takeoff position.

I tried this out with a few different angles, as you can see in the gallery above, and I love the results. This is a fantastic feature to have not just for selfies, but for group shots too.

Another reason why the Neo 2 isn’t as serious of a camera drone as, say, the DJI Flip or the DJI Mini 5 Pro, is because you can’t shoot RAW photos for more freedom in post-production, and ND filters can’t be attached to the lens either. Oh, and there are no color profiles to choose from except for the Standard one. I will say, though, these are not major flaws. Given that the Neo 2 doesn’t cost a lot, these are sacrifices I’m willing to make for the price of admission.

DJI Neo 2 review: Video quality

When I tested the DJI Neo, it didn’t give me much to complain about when it came to its video quality. 4K/30fps felt more than enough, given the size and price of the drone. The Neo 2 can now shoot 4K/60fps, 2.7K/60fps, and 4K/100fps or FHD/100fps slow-mo footage, so it really doesn’t give you much to moan about.

4K/60fps footage looks lovely with vivid colors and plenty of detail, as you can see above. Whether you’re panning or ascending and descending, the movement appears smooth and stable, thanks to the two-axis mechanical gimbal. It trumps the Neo’s 4K/30fps footage in every way.

The Neo 2 is also capable of shooting 2.7K/60fps footage in the 9x16 format, making it ideal for those who want to share their videos on Instagram Reels and Stories, TikTok or YouTube Shorts. This is something that wasn’t present on the Neo so it’s a welcome addition. It’s still not ‘true’ vertical video as the Neo 2 doesn’t feature a rotating gimbal like on the DJI Mini 5 Pro, but it’s still impressive. You can see what this footage looks like above.

The Neo 2 is, first and foremost, a selfie drone. To that effect, its array of QuickShot Intelligent Flight modes is its biggest selling point. These AI-powered modes lock on to you (or your preferred subject) and record short-form videos before returning to the takeoff point.

The Neo 2 features many QuickShot modes, including but not limited to Follow, Cycling Follow, Skiing Follow, SelfieShot, Dolly Zoom, Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, Helix, and Boomerang. They’re all fantastic and can be used depending on your shooting requirements. You can see a few examples in the compilation above. I love playing with QuickShot modes and I can almost guarantee that other pilots will too.

Another thing I want to elaborate on is the Neo 2’s Gesture Control, which made me feel like a Jedi Master, as you can see in the clip above. You must enable this feature via the DJI Fly app, and the app will even give you a quick tutorial on how to control the drone with your hands.

Your palm must face the drone, and a dark blue LED lamp will light up to indicate the Neo 2 is registering your commands. You can then use your palm to move the drone up, down, and side to side, and you can use both palms to either pull the drone closer or push it away. It worked extremely well in my testing, as you can see in the video above, and I thoroughly enjoyed testing this feature. This is what true hands-free flying looks like.

DJI Neo 2 review: Battery life

There isn’t a huge difference between the DJI Neo 2’s and the DJI Neo’s flight times, but the former has received a very minor bump. The Neo 2 can fly for up to 19 minutes between charges (versus 18 minutes on the Neo) — barely any difference, really. The flight time will, of course, vary depending on the flight and environmental conditions.

To test the battery, I flew the Neo 2 indoors, in a windless environment, and the drone promptly returned to home after hovering for approximately 20 minutes. Again, I got one minute over the stated time because of the environment I conducted the test in. I recommend always carrying fully charged extra batteries when you’re heading out.

DJI Neo 2 review: Verdict

The latest addition to DJI’s lineup of drones is a triumph. The DJI Neo 2 takes things up a notch by improving in areas its predecessor lacked in. Now featuring omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, 4K/60fps video, bigger internal storage, and features like Gesture Control, the Neo 2 is everything I’ve ever wanted in a tiny drone and one that doesn’t break the bank.

The lack of a MicroSD slot is disappointing, and while battery life has been boosted, it still isn't great. But remember, this is a budget drone aimed at beginners and casual users — for those people, I think its internal storage and 19-minute flight time should be enough.

Although it features competition from the likes of HoverAir, the Neo 2 does everything HoverAir drones do but at a much more accessible price. The drone looks fantastic, it’s built extremely well, looks pricier than it is, and gives you access to FPV flying as it’s compatible with DJI’s headsets. All these features help the Neo 2 make a compelling case for being the best budget drone today.

For a long time now, there's been one single name that comes up every time drones are mentioned. One giant that has dominated the skies, and has subsequently been crowned as the king of quadcopters. Have you guessed who it is yet? DJI, of course, the brand that makes some of the best drones around. DJI makes other cameras too, such as action cams and now 360° ones, and it has always faced fierce competition from Insta360 on land only... until now.

Insta360 and several third-party partners have come up with a new brand called Antigravity, and the A1 is the world's first-ever 360° drone. It has taken the cutting-edge technology in its action cameras and stuffed it into a device with wings, and the A1 is a triumph, a true feat of engineering.

As someone who loves drones and reviews them for a living, I've been intrigued by the A1 since it was first revealed in August, and I wanted to learn more about its development — so I spoke with Buu, Antigravity's Product Lead and the genius who heads up the R&D team responsible for all things Antigravity.

For commercial confidentiality reasons, Antigravity wasn't allowed to release Buu's full name.

"What if drones became extensions of our senses?"

The drone industry has evolved and it is constantly changing. From regular quadcopters to first-person view (FPV) drones that make flying more immersive, there's something for everyone today. But recently, it has felt like all drones do the same thing, which is where Antigravity comes in with the A1. At the time of writing, it's a one-of-a-kind drone as it faces no other competition.

"Our inspiration for 360 drones stems from liberating visual storytelling’s core potential," said Buu regarding the inspiration behind the A1. "When we witnessed the revolutionary power of 360° cameras — shooting first, framing later, capturing all perspectives in one take — we were captivated by this physics-defying creativity. This ignited our driving vision: elevating 'omni-dimensional visual freedom' to the skies."

Buu pondered over the same question I had: "Why do drones — from entry-level to pro models — remain bound to decade-old dual-joystick controls? Pilots' view stays confined to palm-sized controller screens. This experience clashes fundamentally with humanity’s innate yearning for flight."

But of course, FPV drones, such as the DJI Avata 2 and the DJI Goggles N3, already exist, so what does the A1 do different? Well, it lets you capture every single angle possible. "Like re-engineering wings from scratch, we rebuilt human-drone interaction: Free Motion mode mirrors a bird’s instinct — making control as natural as breathing," said Buu. "When these constraints shattered, a new category emerged: the panoramic drone. What seems serendipitous is, truly, technology's inevitable evolution."

"Creating breakthrough products always involves challenges"

In an already crowded market where DJI, Potensic and HoverAir continue to create and innovate, it's difficult for a new brand to stake its claim, but it looks like Antigravity is up to the challenge. "We actually started developing drones several years ago, but we never pursued innovation for its own sake," Buu explained, "It was when a group of engineers and passionate flight enthusiasts came together that we noticed the industry had become stuck in a rut — specifications were constantly increasing, yet the user experience remained stagnant.

"We became convinced this field urgently needed a radical revolution. We constantly asked ourselves: What if drones went beyond mere photography tools to become extensions of our senses? What if they could truly immerse us in the surroundings, not just through remote controls and screens? On a late Christmas Eve night in 2023, as our first prototype soared into the sky amid the cheers of the crowd, we knew a revolution in flight had begun."

But like with any piece of tech, we can't talk about drones without considering the evolving market conditions. Insta360's — and thereby Antigravity's — main competitor is DJI, and the Chinese giant is facing increased scrutiny in the U.S. with a full ban on DJI's drones merely a few weeks away. Given this, I asked Buu about the challenges Antigravity faced when developing not only the drone, but the brand too.

"Creating breakthrough products always involves challenges, and evolving drone regulations, like you mentioned, are certainly significant," he noted. "While drones are genuinely compelling devices, we've seen cases of misuse that prompted stricter global rules. This poses challenges for us, yet we're driven by humanity's enduring dream of flight.

"Our solution is fundamental: We formed specialized compliance teams to interpret regulations worldwide, then built those safeguards into our core design. Innovations like Payload Detection ensure safety — if the A1 detects dangerous modifications, it automatically grounds itself, intelligently preventing misuse. Ultimately, we keep the focus where it belongs: the pure delight of exploration and creation."

"The A1 stands as Antigravity’s gift to all humanity"

So, the Antigravity A1 has been in the works for a while, and though I wasn't allowed to say at the time, I flew a prototype at a secret, intimate event. Since then, I have reviewed the drone and in my review, I gave it a 4-star rating. It's simple, really: the A1 is a brand new drone and in a way, it redefines the drone industry. What's more, I'm sure DJI is itching to get its own 360° drone out as soon as possible (why else would it rush to get its DJI Osmo 360 out?).

When I asked Buu about how he hopes Antigravity is going to change the industry, he said, "For beginners, the A1 delivers truly accessible flying: zero-barrier operation opens authentic flight experiences across most global locations. Imagine soaring like a bird over mountains and rivers — utterly effortless and fatigue-free — potentially transforming how we explore our world.

"For creators, the A1’s capabilities elevate creative possibilities to new heights. You’ve likely seen creators sharing their breakthroughs on social media — these testimonials speak louder than specs. Post-A1, the visual language born from aerial perspectives will grow exponentially richer. When that renaissance unfolds, we’ll state with conviction: The A1 stands as Antigravity’s gift to all humanity."

"The A1 is just the beginning"

Antigravity, to me, doesn't sound like a 'one and done' brand. The A1 is its first drone, and there is no way it will stop there, especially considering the rapid rate with which Insta360 is constantly developing its 360° tech and releasing new products. Buu concurs. "Naturally, the A1 is just the beginning. Antigravity will continuously advance both image quality and smart capabilities across future products. Concurrently, our dedicated regulatory specialists will persistently integrate compliance frameworks — ensuring every design prevents misuse — as we navigate evolving global regulations with steadfast dedication."

But what happens when, eventually, DJI comes out with its own 360° drone? "While traditional players retrofit lenses for 360° capture, Antigravity fundamentally reimagines panoramic flight at the biological level," said Buu when I asked him about the launch of other 360° drones. "Free Motion mode transcends a mere control upgrade — it’s a neural-to-propeller translation across dimensions. Point toward a gap in the clouds, pull the controller's trigger, and A1 surges there instantly. This hands-free intuition liberates users — from 90-year-olds to 8-year-olds — all soar with zero learning curves."

And for Buu and Antigravity, it isn't all about the specs, and the brand is more focused on delivering an excellent, accessible flying experience above all else: "Our innovations bypass the spec-race entirely, completing a profound metamorphosis: from pilot to flight itself."

The Antigravity A1 is now available to buy in a few configurations: the Standard bundle costs $1,599 / £1,219, the Explorer bundle costs $1,899 / £1,399, and the Infinity bundle costs $1,999 / £1,499.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve been testing the Antigravity A1 and the world’s first-ever 360° drone confirms one thing: DJI has some serious competition
• Best drones in 2025
• I’d never flown a drone until the Antigravity A1 but look at what I could shoot after only five minutes

2025 has been a fantastic year for drones. DJI has continued to dominate the quadcopter sphere with the launch of the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Neo 2. For years, DJI’s position in the market has been undisputed… until now. Earlier this year, Insta360 (yes, the brand that makes action and 360° cameras) announced the launch of Antigravity, its drone sub-brand. We’ve spent time testing its first drone, the Antigravity A1, and it confirms one thing: DJI better watch out.

The A1 is, at the time of writing, the world’s first-ever 360° drone, capable of recording every angle. Incubated by Insta360 and other third-party partners, it uses the same 360° imaging tech as the Insta360 X5, which means an 8K maximum resolution (at 30fps), giving you the headspace to maintain 4K when cropping into frame to 16:9 for YouTube.

Intuitive to fly thanks to its Vision goggles and Grip controller, with an easy-to-use smartphone editing app, the A1 lets you capture angles you didn’t think were possible — and it’s perfect for those who enjoy immersive flying.

Is it one of the best drones? Well, it has certainly carved a niche for itself and right now, it’s the undisputed king of 360° quadcopters. Find out all the details in our full Antigravity A1 review.

Antigravity A1 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The world’s first-ever 360° drone (at the time of writing), from Antigravity, Insta360’s dedicated drone brand
• Who is it for? For content creators who want to capture every angle, and first-person view (FPV) enthusiasts
• How much does it cost? It ain’t cheap. The Antigravity A1 starts at a whopping $1,599 / £1,219 and goes all the way up to $1,999 / £1,499
• What do we like? The ease of flying with the goggles and controller, immersive 360° flight, detailed 55MP stills and 8K/30fps video, and user-friendly companion software for post-production
• What don’t we like? It costs both arms and both legs!

Antigravity A1 review: Specs

Antigravity A1 review: Price & availability

Insta360, the manufacturer of some of the best action cameras and 360 cameras, announced in July that it would be launching a dedicated drone brand under the name of Antigravity. In August, we got our first look at the Antigravity A1 which became the world’s first-ever 360° drone, taking the fight to DJI who, at the time of writing, does not yet have a 360° drone of its own.

The A1 occupies a unique position in the market. As a 360° drone, it has no competitors, and its closest rival is the DJI Avata 2 ($999), an FPV drone. Because of the tech that’s packed into FPV drones, goggles and motion controllers, it isn’t surprising that the A1 costs a premium, but I wasn’t expecting it to cost this much.

The Standard bundle starts at $1,599 / £1,219, the Explorer bundle costs $1,899 / £1,399, and the Infinity bundle retails for a whopping $1,999 / £1,499. Each bundle includes the A1 drone, Vision goggles and Grip controller, with varying accessories and batteries tailored for different types of pilots. These prices make the A1 the most expensive sub-250g drone on the market, at the time of writing, and put it in the same price bracket as the DJI Air 3S (starts at $1,099, and weighs more than the A1).

Because of the steep price point, the A1 isn’t meant for budget-conscious pilots and is aimed at more serious content creators who want to capture every single angle, reframe in post-production, and share on their social media platforms or add to their business portfolio.

Antigravity A1 review: Design

The Antigravity A1 is a good-looking drone, dressed in white with subtle branding. It doesn’t look like many other drones from DJI, Insta360’s main competitor in the drone sphere, as it features twin lenses on the top and bottom to capture 360 degrees. Bright LED status indicators are nestled between the lenses and around the back.

The A1 weighs 249g / 8.78oz with the standard flight batteries, and it measures 5.56 × 3.79 × 3.20 inches when its propellers are folded. This compact design makes the drone easy to travel with. Since the drone weighs less than 249g, you don’t need to register the drone with the F.A.A. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K. However, if you use a High-Capacity Flight Battery, it bumps the weight up to 291g / 10.26oz, which means you will need to register it with your national or local regulatory body so that you can fly the A1 legally.

One thing I really appreciate about the A1 is its retractable landing gear system — like on an airplane — and this is something I haven’t seen on any other drone yet. The feet automatically pop out and retract when taking off and landing.

Though it’s lightweight, Antigravity hasn’t skimped on ensuring that the A1 is sturdy. Build quality is exceptional, and the drone doesn’t sound hollow when I tap my finger on it. Overall, both the design and build quality is fantastic, and I’d expect nothing less from a brand created by Insta360.

As with the Insta360 X5, the A1’s lenses are replaceable. Given the lower lens is especially liable to impacts during landing, this is very welcome. We raised this as a concern with Antigravity during our first press briefings back in mid-2025, while the engineers were prototyping the drone — it’s great to see the manufacturer listened and implemented the feature.

We also raised a concern about propeller guards, as the DJI Avata 2 features them. Propeller guards on FPV drones enhance safety as you can rest assured your drone will be absolutely fine if it, say, bumps into a wall or tree in a tight space. The A1 doesn’t have these, but it does feature omnidirectional obstacle avoidance which softens the blow a bit.

Antigravity A1 review: Controls

Most drones that we’ve tested at Tom’s Guide are accompanied by a controller, like the RC 2 for the DJI Mini 5 Pro ($1,397) or the RC-N3 for the DJI Flip ($439). FPV drones, though, require an FPV headset and a motion controller — like the DJI Goggles N3 and the DJI RC Motion 3. The Antigravity A1 is accompanied by the Vision goggles and Grip controller, and you’ll need both these devices to fly it. Both are well-made, just like the drone (and every Insta360 product).

Let’s talk about the Vision goggles first. These lightweight goggles sit comfortably around your eyes and come with corrective lenses for those whose eyesight requires correction. As someone who wears prescription glasses all the time, I found the goggles comfortable to wear, and I didn’t feel the need to take them off. Pete wore them on a sweltering race track during the press trip, in 86F heat, and didn’t overheat.

Instead of featuring a built-in battery pack as the DJI Goggles N3 do, the Vision goggles come with a separate battery pack. Which you need to wear around your neck. And they plug into the goggles. And it looks really silly. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it feels like a tedious setup for the first few flights (although you get used to it).

Fitted with dual 1-inch Micro-OLED screens, the Vision goggles display a crisp and clear feed, and I didn’t experience any lag in the transmission. The front of the goggles also lets you view your surroundings when you’re wearing the headset — you need to tap on the front screen to swap between drone and headset POVs — which means that pilots who fly solo don’t need to be accompanied by another person in case they’re worried about disrupting other people’s peace — or want to keep an eye on strangers approaching them.

The screen also displays what the drone is seeing when you’re flying it, so if your friends or family are present, they can see what you’re seeing, so they don’t feel left out!

This is something I wished the DJI Goggles N3 featured, as my partner had to stand there, twiddling her thumbs when I reviewed them and had all the fun, and it earns the Vision goggles brownie points from me.

The Vision goggles pair with the Grip controller, which looks similar to the DJI RC Motion 3. It sports an array of buttons but all of them are straightforward and self-explanatory, such as the record, capture, takeoff and throttle ones. This is a motion controller, which means you can move the controller in different directions and the A1 will fly and make maneuvers accordingly.

The real star of the show is the Grip controller, in my opinion. It makes flying much easier and more immersive compared to traditional controllers with screens. The drone follows your hand’s movements, as do the Vision goggles. If I moved my head to the right, the drone would face right. FPV flying gives you a bird’s eye view of the world, and the A1 makes it oh-so-easy and fun.

I have used FPV headsets and controllers in the past, but it was Pete’s first time flying any drone, and he found it extremely easy to control — at least with the controller. The controls were all fairly self explanatory, and it was easy to correct mistakes using the jog wheel (which controls yaw) and slider (for altitude).

Flying via headset motion commands was a little trickier, and occasionally slightly nauseating (at least in 86F heat, standing on a racetrack at the press event). Overall, though, for a first time user, it was surprising how little time it took to get used to the controls.

Antigravity A1 review: Features

The Antigravity A1 is packed with features, including but not limited to being able to record 360°, great wind resistance, and safety features. You’d expect nothing less, of course, given the drone’s price. Using the standard flight battery, it has a flight distance of 8 miles which gets bumped up to 14.3 miles with the High-Capacity battery pack. This is similar to the DJI Avata 2’s flight distance (8.1 miles).

The A1 hosts a microSD card slot but it also comes with 20GB of internal storage. If you plan on shooting 8K/30fps all the time, I recommend investing in a microSD card as the 20GB storage will fill up extremely quickly.

Wind resistance

Similar to many sub-250g drones, the A1 features great wind resistance, capable of flying in level 5 winds (10.7 m/s or 24mph). This is, again, the same as the DJI Avata 2. I flew primarily on windless days and the A1 didn’t falter. It’s important to note, though, that because the drone is so lightweight, it is prone to getting knocked by sudden gusts of wind, so be careful.

Obstacle avoidance

The A1’s forward-facing sensors are optimally positioned for detecting and avoiding obstacles in any direction. What this means is that it has omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, so the drone will either brake or bypass objects in its way to ensure a safer, smoother flight experience. This is crucial in an FPV drone because chances are you’ll be flying in tight spaces, so it’s great that Antigravity has added such an advanced safety feature.

There’s also a return-to-home feature, toggling which prompts the drone to automatically return to its last known takeoff point. This gets triggered automatically when the A1 is low on battery, reassuring all pilots — beginner and advanced alike.

The A1 features a payload detection system too, so the drone flags excess weight to prevent misuse. After all, it’s meant for creativity, not for transporting things.

Antigravity A1 review: Image quality

Aside from the Antigravity A1’s ability to shoot 8K/30fps video (more on that shortly), the drone can also capture 55MP (10496×5248) stills. These are incredibly detailed and since they’re captured in 360°, you can zoom into every angle, choose the angle you wish to export, and even export the image as a 360° interactive one.

The 1/1.28-inch sensor captures plenty of detail, as you can see in the photos above, where the greens appear vivid and the highlights and shadows are well-balanced. These photos were taken in Auto mode, but you can shoot in Manual too. The A1 has a 1/8000-1/20s shutter speed when capturing 55MP stills, and 1/8000-1/2s when shooting 14MP ones. The 100-6400 ISO range is slightly limited and may prove troublesome when shooting in low-light conditions.

A 1/1.28-inch sensor may sound small by typical drone standards, such as the DJI Mini 5 Pro with its large 1-inch sensor, but it isn’t for 360° cameras. The sensor size affects low-light performance. However, this is a decent size for a 360° sensor, which needs two sensors and sets of lenses — and this has a big impact on space over a single sensor/lens drone.

While there is a low-light drawback, there’s the flexibility of 360° that you don’t get with typical drones. Even so, we’ve tested these sensors in dimly lit environments on the Insta360 X5 and they performed extremely well, as you can see in the video above.

Antigravity A1 review: Video quality

The Antigravity A1 borrows the entirety of its core video technology from Insta360, taking the X5’s dual 180° FoV (field of view) lenses and twin 4K sensors. The 180° files are stitched together by the camera, resulting in 360° footage at 8K resolution (although stitching loses some resolution where the files overlap, so the camera upscales slightly-less-than-8K back up to 8K).

Those raw 8K files in their entirety aren’t usable for much except ‘tiny planet’ effects. In unedited form, they’re a 360° image that’s hard to watch. It’s all about editing flexibility. With 360 cameras, 8K is important because it gives enough headroom in post-production to facilitate reframing (cropping into that full 8K image) at up to 4K in a 16:9 aspect ratio — the default ratio for YouTube and TV. Whether you can achieve true 4K after the crop depends on the FoVs you choose when reframing, with wider viewing angles preserving more resolution.

The A1 shoots 8K at up to 30fps, meaning you’re capped at 30fps if you want your final reframed 16:9 footage to be 4K. If you need 4K at a smoother 60fps, you’ll want a 4K/60-capable drone like the DJI Mini 5 Pro. You can drop the A1 down to 5.2K/60fps, but that’ll substantially hit your maximum resolution when reframing in 16:9 (with 2.7K being roughly what you can expect at typically comfortable viewing angles).

This isn’t a flaw — 360 imaging is intense, and there isn’t a consumer 360 camera in existence right now that shoots 8K/60fps. The DJI Osmo 360 camera (not a drone), shoots 8K/50fps… where its battery life drops to just 27% of its full lifespan at 8K/30fps. And besides, aside from European terrestrial television producers, who is shooting at 50fps?

The video above was shot in Bath, U.K., in 360° and 8K/30fps. I then used the Antigravity mobile app to reframe it to 16x9 and exported it in 4K — and I think it looks amazing. Being able to capture so many different angles and realign them in post gave me a lot of creative freedom. The different colors look lovely and the footage appears smooth even when transitioning from one angle to another.

Key to the Antigravity A1, and indeed any 360 camera, is the flexibility that 360-footage gives you. You shoot first, and you shoot literally everything around the camera. You choose what you want to be in frame later in software.

This is a very powerful asset for a drone, as it completely removes the need for, well… skill. The footage above was shot by Pete, who’d never flown a drone before. With a typical drone, you’d need to chase the car to achieve a similar effect — that requires skill.

Instead, Pete just flew roughly near the cars, recorded everything around the camera and chose the viewing angles, crops and movement in post. He also used the camera’s “Deep Track” feature to track the cars in frame, switching between them halfway through. Easy, professional-looking(-ish) footage within 10 minutes of picking up a drone for the first time.

360 recording also allows you to switch between different FoVs (for example forward and behind, above and below), whenever you please. Essentially giving you different cameras. It’s like having unlimited A and B cams.

And of course, 360 footage also allows for cool effects, such as the ‘Tiny Planet’ effect in the footage above, Orbit, Spiral, and more. The A1 also features Sky Genie, toggling which makes the drone perform aerial tricks along a defined path, and this is similar to DJI’s Waypoint Flight, and must be done in-flight and not in post-production.

Another effect that Antigravity highlighted in its press release is Virtual Cockpit, which lets you… ride a dragon through the sky? This feels more gimmicky and something you’d find at an arcade, while the other effects sound more serious, aimed at content creators.

Antigravity A1 review: App & software

The Antigravity A1 uses the same Insta360 smartphone app and Studio desktop app, reupholstered in an Antigravity livery. And that’s a good thing. Each one is, by far, the easiest way to edit 360 footage on their respective platforms.

The smartphone app allows you to quickly edit footage, assign keyframes, reframe and add effects — it’s extremely user-friendly and intuitive, even for newcomers. I have never used Insta360’s editing software before, so as a first-time user, I found the app extremely easy to navigate, thanks to plenty of signposting. It took a while for me to wrap my head around keyframes and the effects, but once I got a hang of it, it was fairly straightforward.

I also appreciate the AI editing tools. Once you’ve selected a clip, the app can automatically add effects, such as Tiny Planet, Whirlwind, etc. to give you good, usable footage. As you can see in the video above, I utilized the Mirror Sky effect, and the app added its own effects and music. It’s worth noting that when we uploaded this video to YouTube, YouTube flagged it for copyright infringement, so creators won't be able to monetize content using these features.

There’s an Auto Edit feature too which analyzes the clip and picks the best bits, stitches them together and gives you a great finalized clip. I think the smartphone app is fantastic for content creators and pilots alike who instantly want to share their work on social media without the need for a laptop.

For in-depth editing, you’ll need to use the Insta360 Studio desktop app, which is the fully-fledged 360 editor. And it’s great. In Studio, you have a lot more fine control over reframing, effects and editing, as well as exporting. Premiere Pro plug-ins will also be available at launch, for users to edit footage in the Adobe suite.

Antigravity A1 review: Battery life

The Antigravity’s flight time depends on the battery you’re using. If you use the standard battery pack, the drone can fly for 24 minutes between charges, and this increases to 39 minutes when using the High-Capacity Flight Battery. Both are longer than the DJI Avata 2’s flight time which tops at 23 minutes.

I tested the A1 with the High-Capacity Flight Battery, and a single charge lasted me approximately 35 minutes. Be mindful that battery life will depend on the environment and usage conditions, so it’s best to carry extra battery packs when you go flying.

Antigravity is yet to specify the exact battery specs for the Vision goggles and the Grip controller. In my testing, I charged the goggles and used them for an hour, and I still had 64% battery remaining.

Similarly, I charged the Grip controller and flew the drone for an hour, and the goggles’ screen showed that the controller had 91% battery left. Again, take these figures with a pinch of salt as they will depend on the usage conditions.

Antigravity A1 review: Verdict

I’ll be honest: we considered giving the Antigravity A1 4.5 stars and the Editor’s Choice award. The drone excels at a lot of things. Being able to capture 360° 8K/30fps footage and reframe it in post-production unlocks lots of creative avenues. Immersive flying has never felt better either, thanks to the responsive Grip controller and fantastic Vision goggles.

But the A1’s price sticks out like a sore thumb. It starts at $1,599, and that’s just for the Standard bundle. No other sub-250g costs this much, and it puts the A1 in the same ballpark as DJI’s prosumer drones, like the DJI Air 3S and even the DJI Mavic 4 Pro — these are heavier drones built to withstand harsh weather conditions, too, which the A1 can’t.

Thing is, the 360° technology in the A1 already exists in Insta360’s cameras, so it isn’t groundbreaking per se, and it doesn’t justify the outrageous price tag. But Insta360’s cameras are usually more expensive than DJI’s or GoPro’s too, so this doesn’t come as a surprise.

The A1 is still an outstanding drone, and one that takes immersive flying to the next level… as long as it doesn’t leave a hole in your wallet.

Black Friday is almost upon us, and even though it's only the first day of the week, we've already seen some killer discounts on our favorite tech. Whether you've been saving up for a TV, laptop, gaming console or a camera, there are many great discounts to be had. And if, like me, you love aerial photography and are looking for a drone to buy, there's no better time than this week.

The best drones enable you to take to the skies and capture the world from a bird's point of view. I test and review these nifty quadcopters for a living, so I'll be keeping you posted on the best Black Friday drone deals all week. If you want an easy-to-use selfie drone, the HoverAir X1 ProMax is currently 28% off at Amazon, and the bundle includes a bunch of goodies for a smooth flying experience.

For those wanting a drone that captures stunning images while being extremely safe to fly, the DJI Flip with the RC-2 controller is down to just $509 at Amazon. It's my pick for the best drone for beginners, so I can't recommend this deal enough. And while the Flip isn't discounted in the U.K., the DJI Neo Motion Fly More Combo is available for just £378, and it's a wonderful small drone for first-time buyers and FPV enthusiasts.

And there's more where that came from. I've handpicked my favorite deals below, and I'll keep an eye on the sales and add any more discounts that pop up. For more deals, don't forget to tune into our Black Friday deals live blog!

Quick links

• See all Amazon Black Friday deals right now!
• HoverAir X1 ProMax Cycling Combo: was $1,292 now $929
• Potensic Atom SE: was $359 now $259
• Potensic Atom: was $299 now $229
• Potensic Atom 2: was $479 now $399
• DJI Neo: was $199 now $159
• DJI Flip: was $639 now $509
• DJI Mini 4K: was $299 now $239
• DJI Neo Motion Fly More Combo: was £449 now £378
• DJI Mini 4 Pro: was £689 now £519
• DJI Avata 2: was £429 now £359

Best Black Friday U.S. drone deals

Best Black Friday U.K. drone deals

Shop today's best Black Friday deals

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Today (November 3), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously 3-0 to give itself the ability to retroactively ban devices and radio components that were previously approved for entry into the United States, if the manufacturers are later deemed a national security risk.

First reported by The Verge, the vote is being sold as a national security measure to prevent Chinese telecom devices from gaining a backdoor into U.S. networks. In practice, it likely means that drone maker DJI, maker of most of the best drones, will be prevented from importing new drones or wireless devices into the country starting on December 23.

In early October, when today's vote was initially proposed, FCC head Brendon Carr said the new rules would give the agency "new tools to safeguard our networks from insecure spy gear." The rules allow the FCC to not only block new products for companies on its "Covered List," but also older devices.

The Covered List features companies that have been deemed to "pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons," according to the FCC.

Currently, that list is mostly made up of Chinese companies like Huawei (banned since 2019) and the Russian anti-virus maker Kaspersky, which was banned in 2024.

DJI hasn't been specifically named by the FCC, but it's likely the company won't be off it for long. A spokesperson noted that DJI is not on the Covered List but the possibility it will be added is highly likely.

How we got here

In December 2024, the US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense spending bill. As part of that bill, a national security agency has to proactively audit a company and state that it does not pose a risk to national security. It was initially passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2024..

If not, the companies are added to the Covered List which would bar the FCC from authorizing their internal radios for use in the United States. Lacking that authorization effectively bans the devices for import and sale.

As of this writing, no U.S. national security agency has taken up an audit of DJI. "If that assessment is not completed by the deadline, DJI and another Chinese drone manufacturer would automatically be added to the FCC’s Covered List, without any evidence of wrongdoing or the right to appeal," DJI's Head of Global Policy Adam Welsh told Tom's Guide in a statement.

Welsh went on to say that DJI welcomes an audit.

"We urge the U.S. government to start the mandated review or grant an extension to ensure a fair, evidence-based process that protects American jobs, safety, and innovation."

Can you still fly your drone?

Even if the ban goes through, those in the U.S. who already own a DJI drone would still be able to fly them. However, a ban could mean that DJI might stop updating its app for U.S. customers, and there could be other issues with cloud-based features.

The FCC is also insisting that it won't take away existing DJI devices. A potential ban is a case-by-case basis. "[The] Commission should exercise revocation of devices containing prohibited components only in extraordinary circumstances and only on a case-by-case basis after specific national security agency determination."

Additionally, the public is allowed to weigh in on retroactive bans via a 30-day public comment period.

What DJI drones can you still buy?

Due to the ongoing issues, DJI has not listed two of its newer models — the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and the DJI Mini 5 Pro — for sale on its website, but you can find them at Amazon and other retailers.

In addition, there are a number of older DJI devices still available to purchase in the U.S., though due to the uncertainties of the ban and the age of the drones, might be increasingly hard to come by.

• DJI Neo 3 ($187)
• DJi Mini 4K ($299)
• DJI Mini 3 ($419)
• DJI Flip ($439)
• DJI Mini 5 Pro ($759)
• DJI Avata 2 ($999)
• DJI Air 3S ($1,099)
• DJI Mavic 4 Pro ($2,730)

Other Chinese companies affected

In September 2025, DJI lost a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense over the military agency labeling it as a "Chinese Military Company." Though the federal judge allowed the Pentagon to continue using that title, they found no proof DJI is controlled by Beijing.

DJI isn't the only Chinese-owned company facing scrutiny by the U.S. Huawei was initially banned in 2019 and added to the Covered List in 2021.

The TikTok saga finally ended this past September with the sale of the U.S. assets of ByteDance's social media app. While the company's app was technically banned in January 2025, the deadline to enforce the ban was continually extended.

Meanwhile, TP-Link Wi-Fi routers are next on the potential ban list, and it's possible this retroactive ban ruling could affect the company. Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Defense, spent this past summer looking into banning the manufacturer.

While DJI drones might not be banned on December 23, it's looking highly likely that the company won't come out unscathed either way with no U.S. agencies taking up the audit. We'll know more come the end of the year.

More from Tom's Guide

• I test drones for a living — here’s what I think of Reddit’s top recommendations for beginners
• I gave the DJI Mini 5 Pro 5 stars and it’s finally available to buy in the U.S. — but not through DJI
• I’d never flown a drone until the Antigravity A1 but look at what I could shoot after only five minutes

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is my favorite mini drone. Scratch that. It is the best mini drone money can buy right now, period. Alongside its very advanced uncle, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, it is only the second drone I've ever given a full 5/5 star rating to. It's extremely easy to fly, it captures incredible 4K/60fps footage, and its free-rotating gimbal lets you get very creative with your shots.

But at launch, the Mini 5 Pro wasn't available in the U.S., just like the Mavic 4 Pro. DJI cited market conditions and noted that it would continue evaluating the "evolving industry environment" before making the drone available through the official website.

While we got to enjoy the Mini 5 Pro in the U.K., Europe, Australia and other parts of the world, Americans couldn't — until now. Rejoice, my American friends, it's like Christmas has come early, as you can finally buy the Mini 5 Pro, but not through DJI. You'll have to shake hands with Amazon instead.

On Amazon, the Mini 5 Pro is available in a few bundles. You can grab just the drone and the RC-N3 controller for $1,397. Amazon is also stocking the Fly More Combo for $1,708, and it comes with the RC-2 controller, ND filters, spare batteries and a shoulder bag.

If you're willing to spend even more, you can get the Fly More Combo for $1,929, and it comes with all the aforementioned goodies as well as Intelligent Flight Battery Plus' which bump up the flight time to 52 minutes per charge.

That's a lot of money, I know, and definitely more than what the drone costs in the U.K. But if you want best-in-class flying and photographing, you won't go wrong with the Mini 5 Pro. It improves on its predecessor, the DJI Mini 4 Pro, to deliver an unmatched experience.

The Mini 5 Pro packs a powerful, large 1-inch sensor for improved low-light performance and 4K/60fps HDR video capture. It's a mini that thinks big. Like the bigger, prosumer-focused DJI Air 3S, the Mini 5 Pro captures 50MP photos, remains stable in windy conditions up to 12 m/s or 26.8mph.

Another addition to the Mini 5 Pro is omnidirectional obstacle avoidance supplemented with forward-facing LiDAR and an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft. This means that the drone can detect obstacles all around it and either bypass or brake in front of them.

Having LiDAR helps the drone to sense objects more reliably too, even in low-light environments. And it can return back to its last takeoff position even without GPS, so you can fly more confidently. The Mini 5 Pro has the most advanced safety features on a mini drone aimed at beginners.

One of my favorite features on the Mini 5 Pro is one that it has inherited from the Mavic 4 Pro: the 225° gimbal which enables flexible and dynamic camera movement as well as wide-angle rotation. This free-moving gimbal lets you experiment with different kinds of shots, get creative, and it's extremely fun to use. It can be combined with the drone's short-form QuickShot modes too!

More from Tom's Guide

• The DJI Mini 5 Pro has the best safety features for beginners, and their importance can’t be overstated
• I’ve spent three weeks testing the DJI Mini 5 Pro — and it sets a new gold standard for mini drones
• Best drones in 2025

Ring-a-ding-ding! What's that sound you hear? Why, only the bell that rings when it's the last day of October Prime Day sales. All of yesterday and today, we've seen some killer discounts on photography gear, such as action cameras and drones. As someone who tests drones for a living and loves flying them in her spare time, I wanted to highlight the finest drone deal today — and it's on our top pick for the best budget drone.

That's right: the DJI Neo is currently 20% off at Amazon right now. It's down to just $159 — its lowest ever price — which makes it a better deal than the one we saw last Black Friday. Today is your last chance to save big on the little drone that could, and there's no guarantee this deal will resurface come Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

If you want an easy-to-use drone that doesn't require any registration, and can be flown indoors or around children, then I can't recommend the Neo enough. The Neo is one of the safest drones to fly, thanks to its propeller guards. This also means that you can grab it mid-air, and the Neo features palm takeoff and landing, so all you need to do is place your hand under it and it will land. Super convenient and safe!

I have been flying the Neo for nearly a year now, and it has never once let me down. It's the cheapest way to get a 4K/30fps drone that also captures 12MP stills. It comes with 22GB of internal storage, and footage can be easily offloaded to your smartphone with the DJI Fly app.

What's great about the Neo is that it's fantastic for creating short-form content, thanks to QuickShot modes such as Follow, Rocket, Circle, etc. You don't even need a controller or your smartphone for this. Simply press the button on top to cycle through and toggle one of these modes. The drone will then record you/your subject and return to its last-known takeoff position when it's done recording.

Flying the best drones can be really addicting — trust me, even since I flew my first drone, I haven't been able to stop. It can help unleash your creativity and capture amazing sights from a bird's point of view. Drones don't have to break the bank either, as has been proven by the Neo.

Right now, it's at its lowest ever price, as you can get the Neo for 20% off at Amazon. It's really a no-brainer if you want a quadcopter that's easy to fly with or without a smartphone, makes content creation easy, and lets you have fun with your friends, family or solo!

For more great discounts, be sure to check out our Amazon Prime Day deals live blog right now.

More from Tom's Guide

• Final hours! I've found the best Amazon Prime Day deals LIVE from $9 on Apple, Kindles, laptops, TVs & more — shop before it's too late
• I've been flying the DJI Neo for 10 months — here's my verdict (spoiler alert: it's underrated)
• Best drones in 2025

Final call! It's the last day of this year's October Prime Day sales. We've seen some fantastic discounts on our favorite tech already, such as TVs, laptops, home appliances, and more. Here at Tom's Guide, I review the best drones, so it's my job to find you the best deals on the likes of DJI, Potensic and HoverAir.

If you've been thinking of getting a drone, now is your last chance to do so before Black Friday. My favorite deal is the one on the DJI Neo for $159 at Amazon, which is currently 20% off its retail price of $199. If you want a non-DJI drone that takes great selfies, check out the HoverAir X1 which is just $265 and a whopping 34% off at Amazon.

There are many more deals for you to take advantage of, and I'd recommend snagging them while you can as we may not see them again until Black Friday. So, without further ado, here are the seven best drone deals this October Prime Day. For more great discounts, be sure to check out our Amazon Prime Day deals live blog right now.

Quick links

• shop all drone deals at Amazon
• DJI Neo: was $199 now $159
• Potensic Atom SE: was $299 now $229
• DJI Mini 4K: was $299 now $239
• HoverAir X1 Combo: was $399 now $265
• Potensic Atom 2: was $479 now $399
• DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo: was $719 now $575
• HoverAir X1 Pro Basic Combo: was $755 now $639

Best October Prime Day drone deals

More from Tom's Guide

• 71+ Amazon Prime Day deals LIVE — best sales now on Kindles, iPads, TVs, laptops and more
• I found the best Prime Day deals under $25 — my top 29 best deals on Stanley, Apple, Lego, Skechers and more
• Best drones in 2025

The DJI Mini 5 Pro. Wow. What a drone. It's been out for less than a month and it's already made headlines as one of the best drones money can buy right now. I flew it for three weeks before publishing my full DJI Mini 5 Pro review, and my verdict? Well, I gave it a full 5/5 star rating, so that itself says a lot about its aerial prowess. It is now one of only two drones that has a 100% rating at Tom's Guide — the other being the DJI Mavic 4 Pro.

Packing a powerful 1-inch sensor for improved low-light performance and 4K/60fps HDR video, the Mini 5 Pro is DJI's finest mini drone yet. Scratch that; it is the best mini quadcopter right now, and that's not even down to its imaging quality. Beginners, enthusiasts or even experienced pilots will appreciate the Mini 5 Pro's plethora of safety features, and these are something you won't find on any other sub-250g drone.

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is currently not available in the U.S. This is similar to the Mavic 4 Pro, the Osmo 360 and the Osmo Nano's state at launch. They weren't available to buy immediately when they came out, but they became available on third-party retailers (such as Walmart and Amazon) a few weeks later. Our best guess is that this will also be the case with the Mini 5 Pro, and we expect third-party sellers to stock it in the near future.

The Mini 5 Pro has received significant safety upgrades over its predecessor, the DJI Mini 4 Pro. Its advanced obstacle avoidance and braking capabilities give a lot of reassurance and peace of mind to pilots. It didn't take long for this drone to become one of my favorites — it honestly feels like flying a tiny DJI Air 3S or a Mavic 4 Pro. Without further ado, here's what makes the Mini 5 Pro a force to be reckoned with.

A mini that thinks big

In my DJI Mini 5 Pro review, I said that the brand's latest drone feels like the lovechild of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and the DJI Air 3S — and that's not just down to the dark gray coat of paint. Even in terms of specs, the Mini 5 Pro bears resemblance to the Air 3S. For instance, both quadcopters can film 4K/60fps footage, capture 50MP photos, remain stable in windy conditions up to 12 m/s or 26.8mph.

Not just that, but the Mini 5 Pro has also inherited omnidirectional obstacle avoidance supplemented with forward-facing LiDAR and an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft. What exactly does that mean, you ask? The drone can detect obstacles all around it and it can either brake in front of or bypass them.

Having LiDAR (which was missing from its predecessor) means the drone can sense objects more reliably, even in low-light environments. This makes flying at night safer. I can't overstate just how rare this level of obstacle avoidance is in mini drones — the Mini 5 Pro is the only sub-250g drone offering this tech right now.

Crawling back to you

Safety is paramount when flying a drone, and when you can't always keep an eye on it at nighttime, that's where LiDAR comes in clutch. The DJI Mini 5 Pro's return-to-home function has received a significant upgrade too, and thanks to LiDAR, the drone can now return to its last takeoff position even if it loses its GPS signal. Nifty!

Not only is this fantastic (and reassuring) for beginners, but it's useful for more experience pilots too. Even though I fly drones for a living, I have had my fair share of close calls while testing when I've suddenly lost the GPS signal and have waited with bated breath to miraculously get it back. Not with the Mini 5 Pro. I've never felt as confident flying a mini drone as I have with the Mini 5 Pro.

A stacked feature set

Aside from its top-notch safety features, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is also packed with best-in-class imaging capabilities. It features a 1-inch sensor for improved low-light performance with a high dynamic range, a 225° gimbal which enables flexible and dynamic camera movement as well as wide-angle rotation, a 36-minute flight time, and lots more. All of this while maintaining a compact body? Sign me up!

Playing with the Mini 5 Pro's gimbal rotation is some of the most fun I've had testing a product. Well, tied with testing the free-moving gimbal on the Mavic 4 Pro, of course. You can combine gimbal rotation with the Mini 5 Pro's short-form QuickShot videos too, giving you more creative freedom and flexibility.

4K/60fps HDR is in play, as is 10-bit D-Log M video that captures a wide dynamic range of up to 14-stops for more flexibility while color grading in post. The Mini 5 Pro is the ideal drone for beginners, experienced pilots, and everyone in between. It enables you to get creative without worrying about weight restrictions or whether the drone will return safely to you.

You can check out more video footage and sample images I took with the drone in my full DJI Mini 5 Pro review here, and check out the differences between the DJI Mini 5 Pro vs the DJI Mini 4 Pro here.

If you're in the U.S...

As I mentioned up top, the DJI Mini 5 Pro, at the time of writing, isn't available in the U.S. but we expect third-party retailers to stock it in the coming weeks or months. But for now, what are your alternatives? Are there any other drones you can buy? The good news is that there are a plethora of quadcopters out there, ripe for the picking.

Here are my top three picks if you need a drone to tide you over until you can get your hands on the Mini 5 Pro:

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve spent three weeks testing the DJI Mini 5 Pro — and it sets a new gold standard for mini drones
• Best drones in 2025
• DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro — I’ve flown both and there’s a clear winner

The best drones can help take your content creation skills to the next level but they can also be heaps of fun to fly. In recent years, drone videography has become more accessible thanks to mini drones, but these quadcopters usually come with some restrictions, such as not having the best obstacle avoidance or the biggest sensors. Well, the DJI Mini 5 Pro fixes every problem I’ve encountered with mini drones, and it sets a new gold standard.

When I first flew the Mini 5 Pro a few weeks ago, I instantly fell in love with it, and my first impressions told me it could be the drone to beat — and I’m pleased to say I have not been proven wrong after having conducted my battery of tests. It improves on its predecessor by introducing a large 1-inch sensor, forward-facing LiDAR for better obstacle avoidance, a free moving gimbal, all while maintaining a compact size.

If you’ve been meaning to upgrade or buy your first drone even, your search might be over. To find out why, read my full DJI Mini 5 Pro review.

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Specs

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The successor to the two-year-old DJI Mini 4 Pro
• Who is it for? For beginners or content creators who want a lightweight drone offering pro-level features
• How much does it cost? The DJI Mini 5 Pro starts at $1,397 / £689
• What do we like? The large 1-inch sensor and improved low-light performance, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance with LiDAR, stunning 4K/60fps footage, and so much more
• What don’t we like? Battery life isn’t vastly different from the DJI Mini 4 Pro’s

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Price & availability

Launched on 17 September 2025, the DJI Mini 5 Pro has a retail price of $1,397 at Amazon U.S. / £689 at Amazon U.K. for the drone and the RC-N3 controller. That price jumps up to £869 if you get the RC-N3 Fly More combo or to $1,708 / £979 for the RC 2 combo, both of which include two additional Intelligent Flight Batteries, a two-way charging hub, a shoulder bag, and an ND filter set.

Alas, the Mini 5 Pro isn’t available directly through DJI. According to a DJI representative: “DJI remains dedicated to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions.” This was also the case with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro ($2,699) when it first came out back in May, but recently, it has become available through third-party retailers, just like the Mini 5 Pro.

The Mini 5 Pro is priced the same as its predecessor, the DJI Mini 4 Pro, making it a formidable and accessible upgrade. It’s pricier than the DJI Flip ($439) and the Potensic Atom 2 ($329) but it offers a lot more in terms of shooting capabilities and stabilization, making it ideal for enthusiasts and content creators.

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Design

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is what you’d get if the DJI Air 3S ($1,099) and the DJI Mavic 4 Pro had a baby. Instead of sporting a light grey color like its predecessor, the Mini 5 Pro is wrapped in a darker shade which makes it look more premium, in my opinion. The drone’s gimbal cover low-key resembles the Mavic 4 Pro’s too. It has a strap that hooks onto the rear vents, securely holding the propeller blades in place.

There’s another similarity between the Mini 5 Pro and the Mavic 4 Pro: both drones’ rear propeller arms don’t have legs to stand on. The front propeller arms’ legs keep the drone steady for takeoff, and the lack of rear legs enables the drone to land more easily on uneven surfaces — or when you don’t have enough surface area to land on.

As its name suggests, the Mini 5 Pro is a mini quadcopter, measuring just 14.96 x 11.96 x 3.58 inches (unfolded, with propellers), and it becomes even more compact when its propellers are folded, making it easy to travel with. It isn’t very heavy either, weighing 8.81oz / 249.9g when using an Intelligent Flight Battery, which makes it a Class C0 drone.

Insert an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus and that pushes it into Class C1 where more restrictions apply. You can read a detailed comparison between the different classes here. DJI has included C0 and C1 stickers in the box so just stick the appropriate one to the drone before you go flying. So while it isn’t necessary to register the drone with the F.A.A. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K., I’d recommend doing so anyway so that you can fly the drone legally should you get an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus.

Included in the Mini 5 Pro’s Fly More box is a shoulder bag which has plenty of room for storing the drone, charging hub, controller, spare propellers and more. I even stuffed my Nintendo Switch in there to see if I could carry the bag with ease — and I could!

As for build quality, it’s solid and I can tell the drone is built well when I tap my nails against it. I expect nothing less from DJI. Overall, the Mini 5 Pro knocks it out of the park with its design… and its features, so let’s talk about them next.

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Features

The DJI Mini 5 Pro feels like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro’s nephew, having inherited some pro-level specs you don’t always find in mini or sub-250g drones. It packs cutting-edge tech such as advanced safety features, a rotating gimbal, and fantastic wind resistance.

At 13.04 miles, its flight distance is two miles longer than the DJI Mini 4 Pro’s when using an Intelligent Flight Battery, and this jumps to 19.88 miles versus 15.53 miles when using an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus. Internal storage has received a massive upgrade too, and you now get 42GB of it versus a measly 2GB on the Mini 4 Pro. There’s also a microSD card slot if you want more storage space.

Sensor

One of the biggest differences between the Mini 5 Pro and the Mini 4 Pro is the camera’s sensor size. While its predecessor hosted a smaller 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, the Mini 5 Pro boasts a larger 1-inch CMOS sensor. The bigger sensor means you now get improved low-light performance with reduced noise and a wider dynamic range. This, in fact, is the largest sensor on a mini drone yet. For context, the Potensic Atom 2 has a 1/1.2-inch sensor and the DJI Flip has a 1/1.3-inch sensor.

The lens’ maximum aperture has narrowed, though, from f/1.7 on the Mini 4 Pro to f/1.8 but the difference is fairly negligible. There’s a fairly wide ISO range available when you’re shooting video too: 100-12,800 in Normal mode, 100-3200 in D-Log M and HLG. The Mini 5 Pro can capture 50MP stills as opposed to the Mini 4 Pro being able to capture 48MP ones only. You get a variable shutter speed of 1/8,000s-2s and the added ability to capture RAW photos for more flexibility in post-production.

Video specs remain fairly similar with both the Mini 4 Pro and the Mini 5 Pro being able to record 4K/60fps footage. The Mini 5 Pro can shoot slow-mo 4K footage at 120fps (versus 100fps on the Mini 4 Pro) and FHD slow-mo is bumped up to 240fps (versus 200fps on the Mini 4 Pro). For a detailed comparison between the two drones, check out my Mini 5 Pro vs. Mini 4 Pro face-off.

Gimbal

The weeks leading up to the Mini 5 Pro’s launch were riddled with rumors and leaks, and the introduction of the 1-inch sensor wasn’t exactly a surprise. However, I didn’t anticipate a big upgrade to the gimbal which DJI kept under wraps. Similar to its very advanced uncle, the Mavic 4 Pro, the Mini 5 Pro features a 225° gimbal which enables flexible and dynamic camera movement as well as wide-angle rotation, giving you lots of creative freedom.

This can be paired with the Mini 5 Pro’s Intelligent Flight Modes and QuickShots too for creating mind-blowing footage easily — perfect for content creation. You can enable fluid gimbal movement by holding the C1 button on the controller and moving the right dial. You can see what this looks like in the video above.

Similar to the DJI Flip and the Potensic Atom 2, the Mini 5 Pro’s three-axis mechanical gimbal keeps footage stable and smooth as you pan, tilt and roll.

Wind resistance

On one of the days when I was testing the Mini 5 Pro, it was extremely windy in the U.K. and my weather app noted the wind was blowing at 21mph. Luckily, the Mini 5 Pro features fantastic wind resistance, rated at 12 m/s or 26.84mph (versus 10.7 m/s or 23.9mph on its predecessor).

The result? Well, you can see how well the drone handled it in the video above. The Mini 5 Pro held its own and didn't waver, with the resulting footage being stable and smooth. Both the Potensic Atom 2 and the DJI Flip, in comparison, can withstand windy conditions up to 10.7 m/s.

But of course, if you live by the sea where wind speeds are higher, I’d recommend getting a heavier drone that isn’t susceptible to gusts of wind, such as the DJI Air 3S or the DJI Mavic 4 Pro — both are much more expensive, though.

Obstacle avoidance

It’s like the list of upgrades never ends! The Mini 5 Pro comes with advanced safety features powered by omnidirectional obstacle avoidance with forward-facing LiDAR and an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft. Both of these make the drone highly capable of either braking in front of or bypassing obstacles even in low-light conditions.

And speaking of, the Mini 5 Pro’s return-to-home feature works exceptionally well in dimly lit environments as it can memorize flight paths more accurately and can do so without GPS, thanks to the larger sensor as well as LiDAR. When I tested this out at nighttime, the drone didn’t struggle at all and promptly returned to where it took off from.

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Image quality

Unlike most mini drones, the DJI Mini 5 Pro features a large 1-inch sensor, which means it’s capable of capturing more light and creating brighter images with improved color accuracy. It captures detailed 50MP stills, and you can see a few sample images in the gallery above. Greens are vivid and lots of detail has been captured in the highlights and shadows.

The drone can take RAW photos too for more creative freedom in post-production but for those who don’t care much about that, straight-out-of-camera JPEGs look gorgeous too.

You also get access to a 2x and 3x digital zoom when shooting images. To demonstrate the difference, I stood in the same spot and took three photos, as can be seen in the gallery above (1x, 2x and 3x). There’s a minute loss in detail at 3x zoom (third slide), as the edges of my jacket appear a bit fuzzy, but the photo isn’t unusable at all.

Low-light performance is stellar too. The city lights in the photo above have been captured well, and I like that the red light atop the crane isn’t blown out. I love that you can see the dark clouds’ outlines too. Grain doesn’t ruin the photo either, as it does when using a drone with a smaller sensor, such as the DJI Flip with its 1/1.3-inch sensor.

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Video quality

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is a formidable drone when it comes to video quality. As I mentioned up top, it can record 4K/60fps video which looks stunning with faithful color reproduction. You can see sample footage above. I love the vivid greens and the darker shades of blue and black in the water. The water’s movement is smooth and fluid as well, which is gorgeous.

Thanks to the rotating gimbal, you can shoot vertical 9x16 video too. This is an added benefit for content creators or enthusiasts who like sharing their videos on, say, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts as you don’t need to crop it in post-production.

If you’re shooting in 4K, you get a 1x-3x digital zoom, and a 1x-4x digital zoom when shooting in FHD. You, of course, lose some of the finer details in color when zooming in — such as the grass appearing ever-so-slightly yellow in the video above — but it’s nice having the flexibility to do so if you want to capture something in the distance. I appreciate that the text on my jumper is still discernible even when zoomed in at 3x.

As with most other recent DJI drones, the Mini 5 Pro can shoot in 10-bit 4:2:0 D-Log M, which means it can capture 1.07 billion individual hues and up to 14-stops of dynamic range, giving you more freedom for color grading. The video above shows what the RAW footage looks like.

DJI’s array of QuickShot modes — such as Rocket, Follow, Asteroid, etc. — is also available for drone pilots who want to create short videos without thinking too much about composition and framing. The Mini 5 Pro utilizes ActiveTrack 360º to perform movements around subjects, both animate and inanimate.

I always love playing around with QuickShot modes as they take the guesswork out of aerial videography. As always, the drone returns to its takeoff position once it’s done recording.You can see a couple examples in the compilation above.

As with images, the Mini 5 Pro excels at recording video in low-light environments, thanks to its 1-inch sensor, as you can see in the footage above which isn’t very noisy (aside from the light pollution from the city lights). Also, having advanced obstacle avoidance in the dark helped me fly more confidently, even though I didn’t do any crazy tricks. Having the reassurance that the drone would return to me even if it lost its GPS signal gave me peace of mind.

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Battery life

There isn’t a huge difference between the DJI Mini 5 Pro’s and the DJI Mini 4 Pro’s maximum flight times. Using an Intelligent Flight Battery, the Mini 5 Pro can fly for 36 minutes which is only two minutes longer than the Mini 4 Pro. This gets bumped up to 52 minutes versus 45 minutes when using an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus. Battery life will, of course, take a hit depending on the drone’s speed, firmware version, wind conditions and temperature.

I’ve been using Intelligent Flight Batteries to test the Mini 5 Pro and on a windless day when I was flying the drone away and then back to me, I got approximately 35 minutes between charges which isn’t bad at all. The Mini 5 Pro’s flight time is longer than the DJI Flip’s (31 minutes) and the Potensic Atom 2’s (32 minutes).

DJI Mini 5 Pro review: Verdict

As mini drones go, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is hard to upstage. Its predecessor was already a highly capable quadcopter, and the Mini 5 Pro does nothing but improve on it. Its 1-inch sensor captures lots of detail to produce bright images, even in low-light conditions. Color reproduction is fantastic in 50MP images as well as 4K/60fps video.

Obstacle avoidance has received a huge upgrade thanks to forward-facing LiDAR which helps the drone fly in dimly lit environments and return home without GPS. But perhaps my favorite feature is the 225° gimbal which makes footage appear trippy and allows you to get creative. Add the ability to capture up to 14-stops of dynamic range while shooting in D-Log M and you’ve got a beast for content creation. The best part? The Mini 5 Pro remains lightweight and compact.

The Mini 5 Pro sets a new standard for drone safety and I’m sure its plethora of features will help beginner pilots feel more confident. Right now, there isn’t a better mini drone out there.

Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and DJI setting a new gold standard every time it announces a new drone. That seems to be the case with the brand new DJI Mini 5 Pro, too. The Mini 4 Pro's successor is well-endowed, featuring a large 1-inch sensor for improved low-light performance, forward-facing LiDAR for safer night-time flying, and more. I have been flying the drone for a few days now, and boy, I am thoroughly impressed!

But as was the case with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, the Mini 5 Pro, alas, isn't available in the U.S. at launch. According to a spokesperson: "DJI remains dedicated to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."

I don't know when or if we'll see the Mini 5 Pro land on American store shelves, but my American friends don't need to fret. The good news is that there are plenty of alternatives available, and while they might not boast the latest and greatest tech, they are still great in their own right.

I test the best drones here at Tom's Guide, so I've carefully and meticulously picked out the top Mini 5 Pro alternatives to tide you over until DJI's latest mini drone makes it to the U.S.

DJI Mini 4 Pro

Your first alternative to the DJI Mini 5 Pro is, naturally, its predecessor: the DJI Mini 4 Pro. I get it, the Mini 5 Pro is better in a lot of ways, with its bigger sensor and whatnot, but the Mini 4 Pro is still a fantastic drone. I compared both drones' headline specs in my DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro comparison, so make sure to check it out.

The Mini 4 Pro is great for those taking their first steps into serious content creation. It weighs less than 250g / 8.81oz, which means you don't necessarily need to register it with a national governing body, like the F.A.A. in the U.S., making it accessible to most pilots — especially beginners.

While the Mini 5 Pro takes 50MP photos, the Mini 4 Pro takes stunning 48MP photos, and it records beautiful 4K/60fps and slow-motion FHD/200fps footage, which is stable and smooth thanks to the three-axis mechanical gimbal. It also features omnidirectional obstacle avoidance so it can brake in front of or bypass objects in its way.

The Mini 4 Pro was one of the first drones I ever flew, as a friend owned it, and I remember having so much fun with it. As a then-beginner, I found it extremely easy to fly and control with the RC 2 controller. It's an outstanding drone that both beginners and content creators will be satisfied with.

Further reading: 5 things I like about the DJI Mini 4 Pro — and 2 things I hate, and DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro — I’ve flown both and there’s a clear winner

DJI Air 3S

The DJI Air 3S belongs in the "prosumer" category so it's slightly detached from the DJI Mini 5 Pro's place in the market, but it's an amazing alternative, costing just slightly more than the Mini 5 Pro. The Air 3S, to this day, remains my favorite drone, and I rarely leave the house without it.

This one's for serious content creators as it boasts 4K/60fps. It shares a few features with the Mini 5 Pro, such as phenomenal obstacle avoidance with forward-facing LiDAR, a 1-inch sensor, 42GB internal storage, great low-light video with noise reduction technology, and a three-axis mechanical gimbal for stabilization.

You can also shoot in 10-bit D-Log M or HLG profiles to preserve a wide dynamic range, as the Air 3S is capable of capturing up to 14 stops of dynamic range. 10-bit video means it's capable of capturing 1.07 billion individual hues, giving you a lot of flexibility and freedom in post-production and while color grading.

Further reading: The DJI Air 3S is the one drone I’d buy with my own money — here’s why it brings me unbridled joy

Potensic Atom 2

Of course, DJI isn't the only brand making some of the best drones out there, and the Potensic Atom 2 gives DJI's lineup of mini drones a run for its money. This sub-250g is a great option if you want a budget-friendly quadcopter while you wait for the Mini 5 Pro. Video quality takes a slight hit at the Atom 2's is limited to 4K/30fps, but it's still smooth and stable, and colors appear true to life.

The Atom 2 also captures 48MP stills, and you get a 3x digital zoom to get stuck in the detail. For shooting at night, the Atom 2 has a dedicated AI Night Video mode which drastically reduces noise and makes, say, buildings appear sharper. As the drone doesn't feature obstacle avoidance, you'll at least be able to see your surroundings clearly on screen, giving you some reassurance when flying at night.

The Atom 2 succeeds the Atom, and it introduces some handy upgrades, including an improved controller with a mobile mount. The controller, with its chunky grips, is comfortable to use as it resembles a mobile gaming controller. If, for some reason, you can't get a DJI drone or aren't too fussed about grabbing a non-DJI alternative, I can't recommend the Atom 2 enough.

Further reading: I've been testing this mini drone for a month — and it’s the ultimate DJI alternative

More from Tom's Guide

• Best drones in 2025
• DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro — I’ve flown both and there’s a clear winner
• I’ve been testing the DJI Mini 5 Pro — and my first impressions tell me this could be the drone to beat

For a few months now, there have been rumblings on online forums about DJI's latest drone, and the rumors were true as today marks the birth of the DJI Mini 5 Pro. This mini drone succeeds the very popular DJI Mini 4 Pro and it hopes to become the new king of the skies.

I've been flying the Mini 5 Pro for a few days now, in between constant torrential downpours (as I live in Britain). However, my first impressions are overwhelmingly positive. The Mini 5 Pro takes what the Mini 4 Pro did well and improves on it to deliver perhaps the smartest and strongest mini drone yet. This is undoubtedly one of the best drones around.

If you've been holding off on buying the Mini 4 Pro, you might want to consider its successor instead. Let me show you why...

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Specs compared

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Price & availability

The DJI Mini 4 Pro came out in September 2023, and today, it starts at $759 / £689. Two years on, the DJI Mini 5 Pro was announced on 17 September 2025 but at the time of launch, it isn't available to buy in the U.S. This is similar to the recent release of the DJI Osmo 360, which still isn't available 'officially' from DJI in the U.S., but was available via Amazon and other third party retailers in the States soon after its launch.

According to a DJI spokesperson: "The DJI Mini 5 Pro will not be available officially in the United States upon its global launch on September 17. DJI remains dedicated to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."

However, if you're located in the U.K. or in Europe, you can grab it for £689 / €799.

That's right: the Mini 5 Pro has the exact same price as its predecessor, and I think that's a fantastic move by DJI. The brand is keeping drone photography accessible and still adding more features. I'll update this article if/when an official release date is announced for the U.S., but you can expect the Mini 5 Pro to be available via third party retailers soon.

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Design

As opposed to the DJI Mini 4 Pro which comes in a light grey color, the DJI Mini 5 Pro comes in a darker shade which makes it look like the child of the DJI Air 3S and the DJI Mavic 4 Pro.

As their names suggest, both are mini drones, so they're compact and can easily be stored away in a small bag for easy transport. When unfolded and with propellers installed, the Mini 4 Pro measures 14.68 x 11.73 x 3.97 inches. On the other hand, the Mini 5 Pro measures 14.96 x 11.96 x 3.58 inches. DJI has still managed to pack a ton of performance into such a compact form factor.

The Mini 5 Pro's and the Mini 4 Pro's weight difference is negligible and both drones weigh just under 250g / 8.81oz (with Intelligent Flight Battery) which means you don't necessarily need to register with the F.A.A. in the U.S., the C.A.A. in the U.K., and other local governing bodies.

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Features

A big difference between the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the Mini 4 Pro lies in their ability to avoid obstacles. Both drones feature omnidirectional obstacle avoidance but the Mini 5 Pro's is supplemented with forward-facing LiDAR and an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft, which makes it more capable of either braking in front of or bypassing obstacles even in low-light conditions.

Internal storage has also received a massive bump with the Mini 5 Pro boasting 42GB (versus just 2GB on the Mini 4 Pro), and both drones also have microSD card slots (V30 or higher recommended).

Wind resistance has also been bumped from 10.7 m/s (23.9mph) on the Mini 4 Pro to 12 m/s (26.84mph) on the Mini 5 Pro. I flew the Mini 5 Pro on a very windy day in Bath, U.K., and my weather app noted the wind was blowing at 21mph. The Mini 5 Pro held its own and didn't waver, with the resulting footage being stable and smooth.

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Photo & video quality

Both the DJI Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Mini 4 Pro utilize one camera each to capture stunning photos. The biggest difference between the two drones is that the new Mini 5 Pro features a significantly larger 1-inch sensor (versus a 1/1.3-inch sensor on its predecessor). This delivers reduced noise and a wider dynamic range than the Mini 4 Pro and means the Mini 5 Pro should demonstrate better low-light performance. The lens' maximum aperture has narrowed, though, from f/1.7 to f/1.8, which will theoretically decrease low light performance, but the different should be pretty negligible.

With the Mini 5 Pro's bigger sensor comes a wider ISO range: ISO 100-12,800 (Normal) or ISO 100-3200 (D-Log M, HLG). These values are wider than equivalent values the Mini 4 Pro, which could shoot at ISO 100-6400 in Normal mode and ISO 100-1600 in D-Log M and HLG. The drones are both capable of shooting 12MP photos, but the Mini 5 Pro can take 50MP shots too while the Mini 4 Pro is limited to 48MP (which is still very good).

Video specs remain fairly similar with both drones being able to record 4K/60fps footage. The Mini 5 Pro can shoot slow-mo 4K footage at 120fps (versus 100fps on the Mini 4 Pro) and FHD slow-mo is bumped up to 240fps too (versus 200fps on the Mini 4 Pro).

Check out the article I wrote detailing my first impressions of the Mini 5 Pro for more video footage and stills.

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Battery life

The DJI Mini 5 Pro has better, longer battery life compared to the DJI Mini 4 Pro. When using an Intelligent Flight Battery, the Mini 5 Pro lasts 36 minutes, while the Mini 4 Pro lasts 34 minutes. Using an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus bumps the Mini 5 Pro's battery life to a whopping 52 minutes as opposed to the Mini 4 Pro's 45-minute flight time.

Of course, using a bigger Intelligent Flight Battery Plus will add more weight to the Mini 5 Pro, so pilots must be careful before taking off.

DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Outlook

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• Best drones in 2025
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DJI has been having a pretty solid year so far, with some mind-blowing product launches (and we aren't even done with the year yet). The Chinese giant thoroughly impressed us with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and the DJI Osmo 360, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Today, DJI announced the brand new DJI Mini 5 Pro, the successor to the two-years-old DJI Mini 4 Pro — one of the best drones on the market.

As someone who reviews drones for a living (I know, it's very cool), this has been my most anticipated product launch for the back half of 2025, and if this is the last quadcopter DJI releases in the final quarter, what a way to end the year. I've been spending a few days flying the Mini 5 Pro and before I've conducted thorough testing to bring you the in-depth review, I thought I'd share my initial thoughts. Spoiler alert: this is a very, very, very good drone.

The Mini 5 Pro takes what the Mini 4 Pro did well and improves on it by introducing a significantly larger 1-inch sensor, front-facing LiDAR for night-time obstacle avoidance, wide-angle 225° gimbal rotation, upgraded ActiveTrack 360° for sports scenarios, and more. Currently available to buy in the U.K. and the E.U. starting at £689 / €799, the Mini 5 Pro costs as much as its predecessor, making it a formidable (and accessible) upgrade.

If you've been following the rumors and have put buying decisions on hold because of the Mini 5 Pro, you've made the right decision. Read on to find out what my first impressions of the Mini 5 Pro are, and make sure to read my DJI Mini 5 Pro vs. DJI Mini 4 Pro comparison!

A quick rundown

• What is it? The DJI Mini 5 Pro, as its name suggests, is a mini drone, and it succeeds the DJI Mini 4 Pro which came out two years ago. It features a larger 1-inch sensor for better low-light performance as well as LiDAR for improved obstacle avoidance in the dark. Slow-mo video specs have been bumped up to 4K/120fps and FHD/240fps, and the Mini 5 Pro captures 50MP photos with 225° gimbal rotation.
• Who is it for? Thanks to how easy it is to fly and given its sub-250g weight class, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is great for beginners although it isn't the cheapest, which makes it ideal for content creators looking to up their social media or video game.
• How much does it cost? There's no U.S. pricing details yet as DJI continues to assess the market situation there, but in the U.K. and the E.U., the Mini 5 Pro starts at £689 / €799 and goes all the way up to £979 / €1,129 (depending on the Fly More combo you buy). And yes, it costs the same as the DJI Mini 4 Pro — nice.
• When is it available to buy? The DJI Mini 5 Pro is available to buy direct from DJI or authorized retail partners in the U.K. and the E.U. The launch date for the American market is yet to be announced, with no date set for an official launch in the U.S., although we're expecting the Mini 5 Pro to be available via third party sellers (like Amazon) soon.

Upstaging its predecessor

What's the point in releasing a new drone (or any product) if it doesn't upstage its predecessor in more ways than one? The DJI Mini 5 Pro packs a punch and, at the same price as the DJI Mini 4 Pro, delivers unmatched performance in a compact body. I've detailed the specs in my Mini 5 Pro vs. Mini 4 Pro comparison, so I want to talk about the headline specs in real-world usage here.

The Mini 5 Pro has a large 1-inch sensor, which is the most significant upgrade as the Mini 4 Pro had a small 1/1.3-inch sensor. This, combined with a much wider ISO range, means the Mini 5 Pro boasts better low-light performance and up to 14-stops of dynamic range. A 1-inch sensor can capture more light to deliver cleaner, noise-free photos. The 1-inch sensor also takes it out of beginner territory into serious content creator territory — the DJI Air 3S, for example, which is a powerful drone for serious creators, also has a 1-inch sensor.

'Okay, so it's got better low-light performance, but I can't fly a drone at night if I can't see the surroundings!' is what I've thought every time I've tested a drone that claims it performs well in the dark. The Mini 5 Pro fixes that problem by introducing forward-facing LiDAR, fisheye lenses on the front and rear, and a 3D infrared sensor — a major step forward in night-time obstacle avoidance.

Even as a licensed drone pilot and someone who flies drones for a living, I really appreciate having this technology and the reassurance that the Mini 5 Pro won't struggle to return home should anything go wrong (or batteries run out) as it can memorize paths even in dimly lit environments. Color me impressed that DJI has packed this tech into a drone aimed at beginners/enthusiasts.

Stunning 4K/60fps video, as always

If there's one thing I can trust DJI to deliver, it's solid imaging performance — after all, the brand owns a majority stake in Hasselblad. And the DJI Mini 5 Pro doesn't disappoint when it comes to the photos and videos it captures. As opposed to the DJI Mini 4 Pro capturing 48MP images, the Mini 5 Pro captures 50MP ones, and its 225° gimbal rotation allows for more dynamic camera movements.

As I mentioned up top, a larger 1-inch sensor means better low-light performance, as you can see in the video above. There is no distortion or warping when the frame changes or the drone goes from capturing blacked-out video to a vibrant, lit-up scene. Even though I didn't do any crazy flying at night, I appreciated the confidence the Mini 5 Pro's advanced night-time obstacle avoidance instilled within me — and I can't wait to fly more in dimly lit environments.

What's even better is that the Mini 5 Pro has better wind resistance and can withstand winds up to 12 m/s (26.84mph), which is up from 10.7 m/s (23.9mph) on the Mini 4 Pro. The compilation of clips you see in the video above were shot in 21mph wind, according to the weather app on my phone — there were wind warnings in place that day, and trees were blowing over in Bath U.K., where I work... so yeah, it was pretty windy.

I love that there are no jitters or stutters, and the footage is smooth and stable. Even though I could see the drone struggling to hover in one spot, you couldn't tell from the footage that it broke a single sweat to capture stunning sights. Considering the unpredictable British weather, I'm sure many pilots around the country (and around the world) will appreciate the Mini 5 Pro's ability to withstand strong gusts of wind.

Crystal clear photos

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is a fantastic drone for capturing photos. It takes 50MP images packed with plenty of detail, as you can see in the gallery above. I haven't edited these in any way; what you're seeing is what you get straight out of the camera (or drone, in this case) when capturing JPEGs. There's also the option to shoot RAW photos for more flexibility in color grading but I haven't had a chance to test this yet.

Having 50MP at my disposal (and a 1-3x digital zoom) means I can crop into images and still retain a respectable level of detail and resolution. The adjustable shutter speed of 1/8000s-2s (or 2.5-8s for long exposures) means I can experiment too and treat the Mini 5 Pro as, say, one of the best mirrorless cameras.

DJI Mini 5 Pro: Outlook

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I'm an avid Reddit user, and I often fall down the rabbit hole of reading what people think about a particular product — whether that's a video game I'm playing at the moment or a camera I recently reviewed.

Now, I review the best drones for a living, and my curiosity recently got the best of me. I wanted to know what Reddit thought, so I typed "Reddit best drones for beginners" and et voilà: I found an active thread on r/DJI.

I spent some time reading through the several comments, and two things stood out for me. One, Redditors prioritize value over everything else, especially if the drone is meant for beginners, as anyone who's new to the hobby doesn't want to spend a lot. Two, they look for ease of use and how good the drone feels to fly.

What is the best beginner drone? from r/dji

Both of these are valid points and something I always evaluate when I review quadcopters, regardless of the level of expertise they require to pilot. And to give the users in the thread credit, some of the recommendations are fantastic and in line with what I think.

With that out of the way, read on to see what I think of Reddit's top picks. Spoiler alert: I kinda agree (but also not).

DJI Neo

The DJI Neo is one of the easiest drones to recommend and I rate it as the best budget drone — and clearly Reddit seems to agree. Many users in the aforementioned thread recommend it too with some even saying that they have "no regrets" spending money on it. You won't be spending a lot on it either as the Neo retails for just $199 / £179, which is what makes it one of the top choices for beginners.

If you want a no-frills, stripped-back drone, I can't recommend the Neo enough. It focuses more on the aspect of having fun than chart-topping specs. Battery life is limited to just 18 minutes, image resolution tops at 12MP, and video footage is captured at 4K/30fps. It's also got built-in propeller guards so you can use it indoors and around other people without worrying about hurting them.

So it isn't about the specs at all — something I realized after having flown the drone for 10 months. What makes the Neo a top recommendation is the fact that you don't need a controller to fly it — you can use your smartphone or the button on its body that lets you toggle one of several short-form QuickShot video modes.

Further reading: I tested the DJI Neo and it's so good that all I can think about now is flying it

DJI Flip

If there's one drone you won't go wrong with as a beginner it's the DJI Flip. It is, hands down, the best drone for beginners for a number of reasons. It's the easiest drone to get a hang of and if you fly in mostly windless conditions, you'll be just fine. It strikes a fantastic balance between features and price, offering great value for money at just $439 / £369.

If you want a well-rounded drone that's good at nearly everything, you'd pick the Flip. Unlike the DJI Neo, it features front-facing obstacle avoidance which gives newcomers some reassurance while flying amongst trees, for example. Other safety features include propeller guards as well as palm takeoff and landing — all you need to do is place your palm under the Flip for it to land.

The Flip is a top choice for beginners because not only is it easy to fly, but it offers premium features at an accessible price point. This includes 4K/60fps video, 48MP stills, D-Log M for capturing a wider dynamic range for more freedom in post-production, 31-minute flight time, and more. The Flip is the perfect starting point to figure out whether you like aerial photography as well as improving your creative skills.

Further reading: I just tested the new DJI Flip and it might be the best drone for newbies — here’s why

DJI Mini 4 Pro

I can't deny the fact that the DJI Mini 4 Pro is an outstanding drone — it is, in fact, the best mini drone. Several Redditors recommend it as a top pick for beginners but there's a caveat: you should buy it only if your budget allows because it doesn't come cheap.

I'd say this one's more for enthusiasts than total beginners; it's a drone you upgrade to from, say, the DJI Neo.

On the off chance you do decide to buy the Mini 4 Pro, I know you'll be pleased with its performance. This one, again, weighs just under 249g so no need to worry about registering it with your country's regulatory organization. The drone captures stunning 4K/60fps and slow-motion FHD/200fps footage, and beautiful 48MP photos too.

The Mini 4 Pro is extremely easy to fly and control too, just like the DJI Flip and Neo. But I'd think twice before buying it only because it's a lot of money to be spending on your first drone. What if you don't actually end up enjoying it, and realize perhaps drone flying isn't for you? That's why it's best to start with a much cheaper quadcopter and upgrading to the Mini 4 Pro (or another drone of its calibre) in the future.

Further reading: 5 things I like about the DJI Mini 4 Pro — and 2 things I hate

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Best Labor Day Drone Deals

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It has been just over three months since the DJI Mavic 4 Pro came out. It is the only drone I've ever given a full five star rating too, and that's because of its photography prowess, ease of use, and outstanding stabilization, to name a few things. It's a fantastic drone that everyone should fly at least once.

But at launch, the Mavic 4 Pro wasn't available in the U.S., as DJI cited "local conditions and the [evolving] industry environment" as the reason for skipping the American market.

So while pilots in the U.K., Europe, Australia and other parts of the world were treated to the drone, Americans weren't... until now. That's right: you can now buy the Mavic 4 Pro, not through DJI. You'll have to do business with Amazon.

While I haven't spotted the standard bundle on Amazon, you can grab the Fly More Combo which includes spare batteries and a shoulder bag for $3,999 at Amazon.

Amazon is also selling the Creator Combo (which I tested) for a whopping $5,499, and this includes an RC Pro 2 controller and the drone itself features 512GB of internal storage.

The Mavic 4 Pro is an incredible drone and I can't praise it enough. It's fitted with three cameras, one of which is a 100MP Hasselblad camera which is capable of recording 6K/60fps video, 4K/120fps slow-motion video and 4K/60fps vertical too. It's honestly like a mirrorless camera with wings.

All three can also capture 4K/60fps video, and all footage is ridiculously buttery smooth thanks to the drone's three-axis mechanical gimbal, and you can see some sample footage above.

I also love how easy the Mavic 4 Pro is to fly, even though it's aimed at professionals. Controlling it feels intuitive and an array of safety features — such as return-to-home and omnidirectional obstacle avoidance — give all pilots peace of mind.

The standard Mavic 4 Pro features 64GB of internal storage while the Creator Combo boosts this to 512GB. Battery life is great too as a single charge should last you 51 minutes (depending on the flight and environmental conditions).

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• DJI Mavic 4 Pro review: A Hasselblad with wings
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• I’d never flown a drone until the Antigravity A1 but look at what I could shoot after only five minutes

Less than a month ago, 360-degree cameras giant Insta360 launched a 360-degree drone brand called Antigravity, and today, Antigravity announced its first-ever drone — and it's a world first. The Antigravity A1 is the world's first 8K all-in-one 360-degree drone, slated for an early 2026 launch.

360 drones are brand new, and it isn't something DJI, HoverAir, Potensic or anyone else has done before. All of the best drones to date have been fixed field of view (so you need to point the camera at what you want to shoot). Insta360 is attempting to carve a niche for itself, hoping to dethrone DJI as the king of the skies — or at least put a dent in its legitimacy.

Antigravity is "incubated by Insta360" (fancy terminology for "spin-off brand"), and as such the A1 features the dual-lens 360-degree camera system from the Insta360 X5 (the best 360 camera around).

Mounted on the top and bottom of the drone's fuselage, these dual lenses capture everything around the A1 in 360 degrees. You will then be able to edit the footage down the line to set the field of view wherever you want it, not to mention apply cool effects.

The benefit? This makes the A1 much easier for shooting professional-looking footage. You don't need to actually track a subject, simply fly near it and do the rest in post. It's so easy, even a total drones beginner can come away with slick footage that would previously require a lot of practice.

Key features

The Antigravity A1 weighs 249g / 8.78oz so you don't necessarily need to register it with a governing body as it meets regulatory requirements in most countries. The drone is accompanied by lightweight goggles — similar to the DJI Goggles N3 — which feature head tracking, and a motion controller with "FreeMotion technology." Together, they give you intuitive control over the drone to make flying more immersive, according to Antigravity. You can even look in one direction while flying in another.

Utilizing Insta360's ultra wide lenses and well-established stitching technology, the drone appears invisible when viewed through the goggles and in the final footage, which provides a more immersive experience and a clean result. This is similar to the Invisible Selfie Stick mode on the parent brand's 360 cameras.

The goggles will have advanced safety measures so "users can freely explore their surroundings in real time with full 360-degree visibility." This means that you won't need to take off the goggles to see what's around you, providing a sense of safety if you're flying alone. There are also OLED displays in the front so your companions can see what you're seeing — and they won't feel left out. These are two features I wish the DJI Goggles N3 had.

I flew an early prototype of the Antigravity A1 a few months ago and I was highly impressed. It's basically a 360 camera mounted atop a quadcopter, and I found it extremely easy to fly with the controller and the goggles. Trust me, if you look straight down as the drone rapidly ascends, it makes you feel very dizzy!

Antigravity hasn't confirmed battery life or frame rates yet. Realistically, given what we know about Insta360's current technology, the drone's 8K video will be limited to 30fps. Firstly, Insta360 doesn't yet have a camera that can shoot at a higher frame rate than 30fps at 8K. Secondly, anything higher than 30fps will likely be heavily detrimental to battery life.

The HoverAir X1 ProMax is the only other consumer drone that shoots 8K/30fps video, while the DJI Mavic 4 Pro does 6K/60fps.

The Antigravity A1 (and future Antigravity drones) will use a customized and Antigravity-branded version of Insta360's desktop and mobile applications for editing and reframing 360 footage.

As the drone is still in pre-production, the video below was edited using a modified version of the Insta360 Studio desktop app. It's a solid piece of editing software, as we've seen before when testing Insta360 action and 360 cameras.

We've had no word yet on pricing, as this is to be confirmed closer to the public launch. Insta360 usually adopts a premium pricing strategy, even for products that are similarly-specced to rivals, so we wouldn't expect this to be a budget drone anyway, but that's especially true given the novel tech it's employing.

Other safety features

As is the case with most drones today, the Antigravity A1 features Return to Home technology, so you can hit a button on the motion controller to trigger the drone to return to its last known takeoff position. It hasn't been confirmed yet but I'm assuming this will also be the case if the drone is running out of battery. Two sensors are located on the front of the drone too for object avoidance.

There's also a payload detection system "to ensure the drone is used solely for exploration and storytelling," so this tech will prevent misuse or unauthorized modifications. Antigravity is yet to confirm the takeoff payload weight.

Who is the A1 for?

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When I was invited to test out the Antigravity A1 360-degree drone in Germany a few months back, I was more than a little apprehensive. Sure, I was excited to go and test the A1. After all, this isn’t just a brand new drone, but a brand new concept — putting the 360-degree cameras from the formidable Insta360 X5 into a consumer drone.

The thing is, I’d never flown a drone before the A1. Literally not a single one.

Thankfully, the Antigravity A1 is designed to be as easy to use as drones get. Anyone should be able to pick up this tiny drone and come away with slick looking footage, comparable to video shot by experienced pilots using the best drones. Here’s what happened after I went hands-on with the Antigravity A1 for the first time.

Antigravity A1 hands-on: What is it?

First up, a very quick explainer for those not in the know. The A1 is the first drone from a new brand, Antigravity. It’s set to launch in January 2026, although we got hands on with working R&D units that seemed to be most of the way towards fully developed.

Antigravity is a spun-off sub-brand of Insta360, and as such the drone uses Insta360’s camera tech. Specifically, it uses the 360-degree camera system from the Insta360 X5. Insta360 is marketing Antigravity as a wholly separate entity "incubated by Insta360", but make no mistake, this is a sub-brand — most of the staff at the test event were borrowed from Insta360.

360-degree cameras record a full 360 field of view (FoV) all at once. This gives you lots of flexibility with framing and position. You don’t need to be pointing the drone camera directly at a subject; you just need to be near it and can line up your footage later in post. The frontal lenses are only there for object avoidance, while the 360 cameras sit on the top and bottom of the drone.

Like the X5, the A1 shoots in 8K, allowing a 16:9 reframed resolution of 4K. It will weigh under 249g when it launches, meaning you won’t need FAA registration in the U.S. (or registration with similar regulatory bodies in other countries).

The production model will feature return to home and payload detection, although take-off payload figures haven't yet been confirmed. Nothing has been confirmed in regards to battery life, nor whether the drone can be operated without the headset.

Given the A1 borrows so much tech from the X5, it's reasonable to assume it will use the same pair of 1/1.28-inch sensors, which delivered strong low light performance in the X5's testing. But again, Antigravity hasn't divulged that technical info yet.

It would also be great to see the X5's replaceable lenses reused in the A1, as the bottom lens in particular could be liable to damage while landing. No word on that, either.

We’ve given a full rundown of the drone’s features (confirmed so far) in our Antigravity A1 launch coverage article.

Antigravity A1 hands-on: What is it like to use?

In short, incredibly easy. I was a total first-timer before using the A1, and I was flying confidently via the headset and controller in under a minute. Below you can see what I shot after a couple of minutes (with manual reframing in post).

Thanks to the 360-degree footage, I didn’t actually need to be that accurate with drone placement. I simply flew in the center of the race track and then did all of the framing later on in post production. My first attempt with the software was a bit ropey, as you can see below.

However, I then used some of the companion software’s subject detection and automatic reframing, and came away with the footage below, which I’m much happier with (and I added in some Tiny Planet effects at the end just for fun, because I love that mode). All of this was shot within the first few minutes of a 7-minute flight.

The A1 makes it incredibly easy to get awesome looking chase footage without the piloting skills you’d need to get similar footage on a traditional fixed FoV lens drone. I managed to shoot the video above with no experience at all — imagine what you could do with a bit of practice? For consumers, newbies and content creators, the A1 could be a game-changer, allowing them to shoot professional-tier footage much more easily than when using a traditional drone.

I can’t see a way back from 360 drones now. The most important question is, how will DJI respond? We'll have to wait and see, but with the launch of the DJI Osmo 360, Insta360's rival has finally step foot in the 360 arena. It's only a matter of time before that tech makes it's way into DJI's drones.

Antigravity A1 hands-on: Accessories

The A1 uses a handheld controller, which took a bit of getting used to but was fairly intuitive, featuring a trigger for throttle-forward, a jog wheel for rotating and a slider for ascending/descending.

It also requires a headset, which is extremely immersive as it effectively puts you in the air with the drone. Thanks to the 360-degree cameras, you can fly up into the sky and look around in full 360-degrees. It’s pretty awesome. Lifting off the ground for the first time and looking down put butterflies in my stomach.

Your field of view is also where the drone will head when flying, which I found very intuitive for piloting. There's no news yet as to whether you'll be able to fly without the headset using a smartphone app for controlling your FoV.

The headset also features OLED displays in the front so those around you can see what you see, although these weren't working in the pre-production model I tested.

Antigravity A1 hands-on: What software does it use?

The Antigravity A1 will use similar reframing software to Insta360 products, which use the Insta360 Studio desktop app and Insta360 mobile app. In fact, to edit the test footage above, I used jerry-rigged Insta360 Studio beta software.

You can expect bespoke Antigravity-branded desktop and mobile applications, but they shouldn't differ much from the Insta360 versions they'll be based on. That's great, as Insta360's software is super easy to use, even if you aren't familiar, and comes with handy automatic (supposedly "AI") features like the subject detection/tracking I used in the second video above.

Antigravity A1 hands-on: What's next?

The Antigravity A1 is slated to launch in early 2026. However, we’re expecting to be able to test and review a production model before then. Hopefully later this year. The units we’ve tested are pre-production units, which is why we can’t confirm more tech specs right now. As soon as we know more about the details, we’ll cover them.

We're also very eager to see how DJI responds to this. After all, DJI made its first step into the 360 camera market recently, with the launch of the Osmo 360. I said at the time that DJI's decision to do so was likely with a greater ambition in mind, to bring 360 cameras into its bread-and-butter drones lineup — looks like that was indeed the case.

Regardless, it looks as though we're about to witness an arms race between the two Chinese camera giants. And that the consumer drones market is set to get very interesting, very soon.

More from Tom's Guide

• I test drones for a living — and Insta360’s Antigravity needs to do these 3 things to beat DJI
• DJI unveils the Osmo 360: this could be a game changer for 360 cameras and drones
• The best 360 cameras in 2025

As Tom's Guide's resident drone pilot and expert, I spend a lot of my time testing the best drones or thinking about them when I'm not reviewing them. Aerial photography is one of my favorite hobbies as it helps me unwind, and viewing the world from a bird's eye view usually puts my troubles into perspective. But the field of view on most drones is quite limited, usually under 100°, so you can't actually see everything around you unless you turn the drone's camera.

But what if you could see the whole world around you? 360° immersion would change the aerial photography game, right? And with advances in technology, these drones will surely be with us soon — and it might actually be sooner than you think.

A few weeks ago, 360° and action cameras giant Insta360 launched a brand called Antigravity, heralding in a new era for quadcopters.

While no products from Antigravity have been confirmed yet, I've been thinking a lot about what the brand will need to do to upstage DJI. DJI, whose drones dominate the market, and who just launched the Osmo 360 to compete with the Insta360 X5 — and perhaps prepare for its own 360° drone. So, can Antigravity take the fight to DJI? If it nails these three things, then yes.

1. App-reliant products need a good app

Because Antigravity is "incubated by Insta360," which uses a (very fantastic) companion app for stitching footage together, I think it's safe to assume that Antigravity's future products will rely on some sort of software.

If Antigravity's app is anything like Insta360's, you should be able to add cool effects and edit keyframes.

This is one area where I think DJI falls short. The DJI Fly app is great and user-friendly, and it gives you quick previews of footage you've just shot. While this allows you to transfer videos from your drone to your smartphone, its editing capabilities are limited.

While there are pre-made templates you can use, I'd like to see Antigravity introduce crazy effects that compels DJI to improve the Fly app.

2. 8K video would seal the deal

DJI's consumer drones primarily shoot 4K footage, with 6K video reserved for prosumer drones like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, and 8K resolution limited to professional cinematography drones like the DJI Inspire 3.

The only drone I've tested that does 8K video is the HoverAir X1 ProMax, and I'd love to see Antigravity do the same.

If Antigravity's drones rely on an app, as I discussed up top, 8K or at least 6K resolution will be crucial. Editing in an app should allow you to zoom in and out, reframe footage, add different effects, and so on, and you'll end up losing a lot of resolution if video is limited to 4K, with the outcome appearing pixelated.

Think of it as shooting with a medium format camera, like the Fujifilm GFX100RF, where you have over 100 megapixels at your disposal. You can make extremely tight crops in post because there's so much resolution to spare. Antigravity packing 6K or even 8K resolution into its first drone would be game-changing.

3. Long flight time while retaining a compact size

This might be a tall order and a bit out there, but it would blow my mind if Antigravity can find a way to squeeze a big battery into its first drone.

The reason I say that my vision is a bit out there is because it's difficult to fit a massive battery while adhering to weight restrictions. I'd wager that its first drone will be under 249g / 8.78oz as it would want to appeal to as many people as possible (and drones weighing under 249g don't necessarily need to be registered).

So if a drone weighs that little, how much juice can you really fit into it? To give you some context, here are some of the sub-249g drones I've tested and how long they last:

So how much battery life am I expecting Antigravity's first drone to have? At least 35 minutes; 40 minutes would be pushing it, but hey, dream big. If Antigravity can manage a bigger battery life than any of the aforementioned DJI drones, it will be a win in my books.

More from Tom's Guide

• Insta360 just launched a 360-degree drone brand called Antigravity — here’s everything I can tell you so far
• Best drones in 2025
• I review drones for a living — here are 5 things to consider when buying one

The best drones come in all shapes and sizes — from heavy models that weigh over 2 pounds to really light ones that weigh less than 8 ounces.

I test drones for a living and put them through rigorous testing to determine whether they're good value for money. I've reviewed some fantastic quadcopters from DJI, HoverAir and Potensic — each with its own unique selling points.

If you're on the hunt for a drone and buying for the first time, it can feel overwhelming at first. Drone technology has come a long way, and today, there's one for every purpose and everyone — whether you're a professional or a hobbyist.

Since flying drones is one of my favorite hobbies (and my job), I thought I'd take you through the five things you need to consider before dropping your hard-earned money on a drone.

1. Intended purpose and use

I'm going to keep the first tip short and sweet. The most important question you need to ask yourself is a simple one: "What do I need the drone for?" Answering this question will help determine not just the purpose of the drone, but your budget as well.

See, if you're getting a drone just for fun, you won't need to spend thousands of dollars. But if you're getting it for professional work, you'll need to extend your budget by a lot. There are many different drones available — ones specifically designed for selfies, mini drones, drones for prosumers, the list goes on.

2. Safety features

Many drones today come equipped with safety features that help instill more confidence in pilots, both new and old. Return to Home (RTH) is one such feature, and most drones have it. Basically, you can hit a button on your controller or smartphone and it'll make the drone to return to its last known take-off point. Drones like the DJI Flip also automatically return to home when their battery is low.

Another feature to think about is obstacle avoidance. The pricier your drone, the more adept it as at avoiding obstacles. Some drones, like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, feature omnidirectional collision avoidance thanks to the multiple sensors on their body. This, essentially, means that the drone will either brake or swerve to avoid obstacles in its path or around it.

But this technology is expensive. Cheaper drones, like the HoverAir X1 Pro, feature either front- or rear-facing obstacle sensors only, making them trickier to fly in complex environments. However, having unidirectional obstacle avoidance is better than having none (the DJI Neo doesn't have any).

3. Cameras and resolution

How many cameras is too many? Depends on who you ask — or the drone you get. There are many single-camera drones out there, such as the DJI Neo which takes 12MP images and 4K/30fps video only. Then there are dual camera drones, like the DJI Air 3S which captures either 50MP (wide-angle) or 48MP (tele) photos and 4K/60fps footage. And then you've got triple camera drones, like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro which has a 100MP Hasselblad camera, a 50MP tele and a 48MP medium-tele camera.

For most casual pilots, a single camera drone will more than suffice. Because many drones feature intelligent flight modes (where the drone flies autonomously, records short-form video and returns to its take-off position), you can still have a lot of fun with just one camera.

Dual- and triple-camera drones offer versatility and can help take photos from different angles and at various zooms, but they aren't necessary for everyone. Again, consider your budget and purpose before frivolously spending more money than you originally intended.

4. Battery life

Battery life is another important consideration, and it ties into the first point I made up top: how long you want a drone to last will depend on its intended purpose and your budget. Of course, we all want to keep flying our quadcopters forever and never worry about running out of juice, but that isn't the reality.

Smaller drones, like the DJI Neo (18 minutes) and the HoverAir X1 ProMax (16 minutes), don't last nearly as long as bigger ones, like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro (51 minutes) and the DJI Air 3S (46 minutes). You've also got drones that fall in the middle, such as the Potensic Atom 2 (32 minutes) and the DJI Flip (31 minutes).

If you're getting a drone just for taking selfies and very casual videography, you'll be fine with a single charge lasting under 20 minutes, but I'd recommend spending a little extra on a drone that lasts at least (or over) 30 minutes if you want to fly high or far.

Many drones also come as bundles which cost extra but give you additional batteries, so you can swap dead ones for fresh ones when you're out in the field. Often, these can be bought separately too, so don't fret too much if you don't get them when you buy the drone.

5. Weight restrictions

Last but not least, remember that various laws apply to drones depending on their weight class, and this true for almost every part of the world. You'll need to register your drone with a specific organization depending on the country you're flying in, and you usually need to undertake a test to prove you're a capable pilot.

If the drone weighs less than 249g (8.78oz), you don't necessarily need to register with the F.A.A. in the U.S. or the C.A.A. in the U.K. Sub-249g drones include ones like the DJI Neo, the DJI Flip, the Potensic Atom 2, and the HoverAir X1 Pro, to name a few.

If you're flying a heavier drone, one that weighs over 249g, you need register with the aforementioned organizations.

When I registered to become a drone pilot in the U.K., I had to take a flying test to obtain a Flyer ID and an Operator ID (which costs £11) from the C.A.A. This applies to drones like the DJI Air 3S, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, and (the very high-end, cinematography-oriented) DJI Inspire 3.

In the U.S., the laws are a bit less stringent if you want to fly a drone casually, but you must take and pass a free online test.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’m a licensed drone pilot and I’ve spent 600 hours testing the best drones — here are my top picks
• I just tested this new DJI drone that combines aerial and mirrorless camera prowess — and I can’t get enough of it
• DJI better watch out! Insta360 just launched a 360-degree drone brand — here’s everything I can tell you so far

Capturing the perfect moment has never been easier now that mirrorless cameras, action cameras, 360 cameras and even drones have become so advanced and we’ve tried all of the best ones you can get right now.

From instant cameras that can capture nostalgic moments, to vlogging cameras designed to capture every minute of your life, to film cameras for those who love the classic approach, you have plenty of options when it comes to documenting your life or even just the world around you.

Our team of experts has tested and reviewed all of the latest cameras, drones and more for the Tom’s Guide Awards 2025. Below, we highlight our favorite cameras from the last 12 months that have helped us capture life's best moments in the best way possible.

Best mirrorless camera

Nikon Z5II

We’ve reviewed the best cameras you can buy over the last year, from budget-friendly cameras like Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2, through to $7,500 beasts like the Fujifilm GFX100 II. The Nikon Z5II is neither, but that’s a good thing.

See, the Z5II is a fantastic mirrorless camera. Its 24MP full frame sensor produces beautiful images, it handles brilliantly, and has a range of pro features including dual card slots and subject detection AF.

You’d think it’d be expensive, but (at least in mirrorless camera terms), it isn’t. The Z5II costs $1,699, undercutting its rivals, the Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Sony A7 IV by a long way. The sheer value for money is insane, especially given the Z5II’s quality and performance.

From amateurs through to enthusiasts and even aspiring (or current) pros, the Z5II one of the best all-rounders we’ve ever tested, and our favorite mirrorless camera this year.

Best action camera

DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

For a while now, GoPro — once the king of the action camera market — has seemingly been resting on its laurels, coasting along and trading under its brand recognition. Each new GoPro is barely different to the one before, and that lack of impetus has given GoPro’s rivals space to soar ahead.

No camera demonstrates that better than the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, the best action camera you can buy right now. Its predecessor, the Osmo Action 4, was a great camera, but a runner up. The OA5 Pro is just fantastic.

Improved (and excellent) stabilization, best-in-class battery life, and gorgeous OLED displays that make it a joy to use, the Osmo Action 5 Pro is a premium, professional action camera through and through. It maxes out at 4K, which may be limiting if you need to crop heavily, or you want to oversample footage, but for most users, 4K/60p will be plenty. Better yet, the OA5 Pro is cheaper than its rivals, the GoPro Hero13 Black and Insta360 Ace Pro 2.

Best 360 camera

Insta360 X5

Insta360 didn’t need to develop or release the X5. Its predecessor, the Insta360 X4 was already the best 360 camera around, and it wasn’t even a close contest: it was the only 360 camera with 8K maximum 360-degree resolution, allowing 4K reframed 16:9 footage. The X5 builds on the X4 in numerous key ways, though, and it’s a huge step up on what was already the finest 360 camera you can buy.

For the X5, 8K maximum res was back, but Insta360 fitted new, larger sensors, improving image cleanliness in low light — we were impressed with how well these performed. The X5 also boasts an improved microphone array and noise cancellation, and the wind reduction mode was staggeringly good in testing. Battery life was boosted thanks to a new power cell, and Insta360 also gave the X5 replaceable lenses (as 360 cam lenses are prone to strikes when used on a motorcycle) to remove the need for the X4’s lens guards, which degraded image quality.

The Insta360 X5 is the ultimate 360 camera, so a very deserving winner of this award.

Best instant camera

Fujifilm Instax mini 41

Instant cameras are just as fun today as they were when they first came out, and it looks like Fujifilm is still leading the pack with its Instax lineup. The Fujifilm Instax mini 41 is the best instant camera that came out in 2025 for one very simple reason: it’s the easiest, most user-friendly instant camera that takes gorgeous photos.

Intuitive to use with a very straightforward control scheme and a dark colored body, the Instax mini 41 is like the Instax mini 12 but for grown-ups. Images pack plenty of detail and there’s a selfie mirror and close-up mode for more creativity. Long battery life also means that you can use this camera for hours.

With faithful color reproduction and Fuji’s accurate color science at full display, the Instax mini 41 is a deserving winner of this award.

Best film camera

Pentax 17

Analog photography is on the rise again with many social media users populating their timelines with photos shot on film, and the launch of one modern-day film camera took us all by surprise. The Pentax 17 is what we describe as the “crème de la crème of film cameras.” Offering manual control over shutter speed and exposure compensation, the Pentax 17 takes stunning photos in bright conditions.

As this is a half-frame camera, the Pentax 17 is great for creating diptychs and telling a story in two parts. This also doubles the shot count so a 36-shot roll yields 72 photos. We also love the camera’s retro design and lightweight build, making the camera easy to carry in your pocket or handbag.

For anyone who loves film photography and wants a modern camera that takes fantastic photos, there really isn’t a better one than the Pentax 17.

Best drone

DJI Air 3S

This past year, DJI knocked it out of the park with the launch of the Neo, Flip and the Mavic 4 Pro, but there’s only one drone that takes the crown, and that’s the DJI Air 3S. It was a close call between the Mavic 4 Pro and the Air 3S, but the U.S. launch of the former being hindered by economic conditions means the Air 3S is the gold standard — it’s also more financially accessible.

And what do you get for your money? A dual-camera system that lets aerial videographers and travel photographers capture wide-angle and medium telephoto shots. A large 1-inch sensor for superb low-light performance. Next-gen obstacle avoidance. AI subject tracking that powers short-form flight modes. Smooth 4K/60fps video and detailed 48MP stills. You name it, you’ve got it.

We also love just how easy it is to fly the Air 3S with the RC-2 controller and its bright 700-nits display. Edit videos on the fly via the controller or save them safe and sound in the drone’s 42GB internal storage. You can capture vertical footage too for quick-sharing to social media. This drone packs so much potential that we keep coming back to it regardless of how many others we test.

Best vlogging camera

Canon EOS R50 V

Canon took the competition to Sony this year by introducing not one but two vlogging cameras — and we love both the PowerShot V1 and the EOS R50 V. While the former is a fixed-lens compact, the latter a mirrorless with interchangeable lenses, and it is that distinction that earns the EOS R50 V the crown for best vlogging camera.

The EOS R50 V is one of the cheapest ways of stepping into the world of mirrorless cameras. Not just that, but it’s an absolute machine for content creation. Capable of recording lovely, smooth 4K/60fps and capturing detailed 24MP stills, the EOS R50 V is a hybrid powerhouse. Because it’s a video-first camera, we adore the top plate dial dedicated to different video modes, giving users quick access. It’s an extremely intuitive camera to use, perfect for beginners.

Canon’s autofocus system is rarely a letdown and that’s the case here too. Auto subject detection also means you don’t need to manually swap between animal and human detection, taking one step out of the equation. The EOS R50 V is a great step forward for Canon, and there really is no other vlogging camera (that came out this year) which outclasses it right now.