Antigravity has a new way to sell its A1 360-degree drone, and it leaves out the part that defined the product. On October 20 the Los Angeles company announced a Follow Me Bundle for the A1 at $799. The bundle has no Vision Goggles and no Grip controller. In their place come a Watch Remote, a Ring Remote, a high-capacity battery and full-coverage propeller guards. The idea is to launch the drone and let it follow you while you hike, ride or stand around with friends. Nobody has to fly it.
The price drop is large. According to DroneXL, the Standard Bundle with goggles still costs $1,599, so the Follow Me package is half that price. It is sold on Antigravity's own site, on BestBuy.com and in 266 Best Buy stores. The cost shows up elsewhere: in weight, in flight performance and in what the law requires of the owner.
What's in the box, and what isn't
The company's announcement calls the bundle an 8K 360-degree follow-me kit that enables hands-free shooting. Tracking combines the drone's own visual tracking with the GPS built into the Watch Remote. Antigravity says the pairing gives greater consistency during fast movements and brief obstructions, such as a rider passing under trees or a hiker stepping behind a rock.
DroneXL gives the specifications of the two controllers:
- Watch Remote: 44.7 g, IP67-rated, a 1.72-inch touchscreen and onboard GNSS. This is the GPS reference that lets the drone track the wearer.
- Ring Remote: 8.2 g. It can make the drone follow the user's hand at distances up to 33 feet.
Owners of an existing A1 can buy the watch, ring and guards separately. DroneXL reports an accessory kit at $339.99, or $271.99 with a 20 percent owner discount.
The weight problem
The prop guards and larger battery that make the A1 safer to fly near people also make it heavier. Antigravity's Follow Me spec sheet lists a takeoff weight of 351 g (12.4 oz) with the high-capacity battery and full guards fitted, and an EU class of C1. DroneXL notes that the standard A1 weighs 249 g.
Those extra 102 grams change the drone's performance. DroneXL compared the two configurations:
- Flight time: 39 minutes bare, 23 minutes with guards
- Top speed: 35.8 mph down to 24.6 mph
- Wind resistance: 24 mph down to 12.1 mph
Antigravity's own spec sheet for this configuration agrees on the 23-minute maximum flight time and the 24.6 mph top speed. It also lists a maximum flight distance of 9.4 km (5.8 mi), a maximum wind resistance of 12.1 mph and a manual ascent rate of 3 m/s.
The wind figure matters most. Cutting wind resistance roughly in half suggests the guarded A1 will be less suited to exposed ridgelines, beaches and open roads. Losing 16 minutes of flight time, about 40 percent, also means fewer and shorter tracking runs per battery.
Why It Matters
The bigger issue is regulation. DroneXL says that at 351 g, the Follow Me Bundle is the cheapest A1 that must be registered with the FAA and broadcast Remote ID out of the box. The A1 has sold on its 249 g standard configuration since launch, and the configuration Antigravity is now selling in Best Buy stores carries those obligations. DroneXL reports that Antigravity's buy page says as much only in a footnote, noting that takeoff weight exceeds 249 g with the high-capacity battery.
That puts weight on the retail channel. People who pick up the $799 box at one of 266 Best Buy locations are buying an aircraft that, per DroneXL, needs FAA registration before it flies. How clearly Antigravity and its retail partner explain that is not something the press release addresses.
The bundle also points to a broader shift in the consumer market: from immersive piloting toward autonomous self-filming. Goggle-based flying was the A1's main selling point. The Follow Me Bundle drops the goggles entirely, which suggests Antigravity sees a larger audience among people who want footage of themselves than among people who want the experience of flying.
What US buyers can't get
The US launch is missing two items that Antigravity sells elsewhere. DroneXL reports that a new dual-stick Remote Controller and a 4G Cellular Module are available in Antigravity's UK store. On the US store, both product pages say they are unavailable in the buyer's country or region. The press release says nothing about which regions get them, and DroneXL reports that Antigravity has not said why they are missing in the US.
The missing controller means American buyers who want conventional stick control have no way to get it from Antigravity's US store for now. DroneXL notes that the controller still needs the Vision Goggles to fly. The missing 4G module means no cellular-linked video feed for US customers for now.
The bottom line
The $799 Follow Me Bundle makes 8K 360-degree aerial capture available at half the price of the goggle kit. It also gives the A1 a GPS-assisted tracking setup aimed at outdoor activities. Buyers give up a lot for that: 102 extra grams, 16 fewer minutes in the air, about half the original wind tolerance, and the FAA registration and Remote ID requirements that come with crossing 249 grams. For a hiker or cyclist who wants to be filmed rather than to fly, that may be an acceptable trade. Buyers should just know they are making it.
