DJI Avata 360 Lets Drone Pilots Capture Every Direction in One Smooth Flight

DJI just revealed their brand new Avata 360 today, and it’s already getting the FPV crowd thrilled. This compact drone recreates the adrenaline thrill of flying as if you were there in person, complete with a camera system that records the entire 360-degree view every second you’re in the air.

At 455 grams and compact enough to slip into a backpack, the Avata 360 is built for travel. The propellers sit behind integrated guards so you are not constantly worried about clipping something, and omnidirectional obstacle detection handles the rest, performing reliably even in low light. A full charge gets you around 23 minutes in the air, which is enough for a solid session before you need to swap the battery.

Two front facing lenses, each with a 2.4 micrometer pixel sensor, work together to capture 8K video at 60 frames per second in 360 degree mode and stills up to 120 megapixels. Switch to single lens mode and you get standard 4K at 60 frames per second with high dynamic range support, keeping highlights and shadows looking balanced in tricky lighting conditions. If the front lens element takes a hit, a small replacement kit lets you swap it out yourself rather than sending the whole drone in for repair.

The O4+ transmission system keeps the signal rock solid, streaming live footage to your goggles at 1080p and 60 frames per second across distances of up to 20 kilometers with strong interference resistance. You can fly with a standard controller like the RC 2, RC-N2, or RC-N3 for precise framing, or pair it with goggles and a motion controller for a full first person experience. Either way, the flight modes are approachable enough that beginners can pull off some impressive drifts and rolls without much practice.

Once you are in the air, the smart tracking modes do a lot of the work for you. Spotlight Free locks onto a subject, whether that is a person, a vehicle, or a pet, and follows with camera movement smooth enough to look like it came from a dedicated crew. ActiveTrack 360 goes a step further, automatically adjusting speed and distance depending on whether your subject is cutting a sharp corner or moving in a straight line. Any of these modes can also have an FPV style roll effect layered on top for extra visual flair, and it can all be fine tuned in post if you want to dial it in further.

Onboard storage comes in at 42 gigabytes, enough to hold over 30 minutes of 8K 360 footage without needing a memory card. Getting that footage off the drone is quick too, with Wi-Fi 6 transferring around a gigabyte every 10 seconds. The DJI Fly and DJI Studio apps open up a solid set of creative tools from there, including GyroFrame for straightening the horizon with a single tap and a virtual gimbal that lets you pan, tilt, and flip the perspective in post, turning a single clip into several completely different looking shots without ever going back out to fly again.

The drone alone starts at £409 ($545), with RC 2 controller bundles coming in at £639 ($852) and fly more combos reaching up to £829 ($1,105). Pre-orders are open now through DJI’s own store and authorized retailers, with deliveries expected in April. US customers buying through third party sellers will need to wait until the end of the month for stock to arrive.