Quick Answer: The DJI Avata 360 is DJI’s first 360-degree FPV drone — dual 1/1.1-inch 64MP sensors shoot 8K/60 HDR 360-degree video you reframe after landing, on a 455g airframe rated for 23 minutes of flight, priced from $719 (RC 2, one battery) to $979 (Fly More Combo). It’s the right tool when you don’t know the best angle until after the flight — but it flies on the standard RC 2 controller, not the motion-controlled RC Motion 3 that makes its sibling the DJI Avata 2 so approachable, and reframed exports top out around 2.7K effective resolution, well short of true 8K.
DJI’s Avata name now covers three very different drones, and the newest one is the most easily misunderstood. Here’s what the Avata 360 actually shoots, how flying it differs from the Avata 2 despite the shared branding, and why it may be the last genuinely new DJI drone the US ever authorizes.
DJI Avata 360 at a glance
| Spec | DJI Avata 360 |
|---|---|
| Camera | Dual 1/1.1" 64MP CMOS sensors, 360-degree capture |
| Video | 8K/60 HDR 360°, or 4K/60 single-lens; 120MP stills |
| Flight time | Approx. 23 min rated |
| Transmission | DJI O4+, standard RC 2 controller (not RC Motion 3) |
| Storage | 42 GB internal — about 30 min of 8K 360° footage without a microSD card |
| Transfer | Wi-Fi 6, up to 100 MB/s |
| Weight | Approx. 455 g — FAA registration required |
| Price (2026) | $719 with RC 2, one battery · $979 Fly More Combo |
DJI Avata 360
- Dual 1/1.1" 64MP sensors shoot 8K/60 HDR 360-degree video — reframe the shot after you land instead of aiming it live.
- 455g airframe, 23-minute rated flight, and DJI's O4+ transmission carried over from the Avata 2 generation.
- Flies on the standard RC 2 controller, not the motion-controlled RC Motion 3 — a genuinely different flying experience than the Avata 2 despite the shared name.
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The camera: real 8K capture, but not real 8K output
The Avata 360’s headline spec is genuine — the dual 1/1.1-inch 64MP sensors really do shoot 8K/60 HDR 360-degree video, and 120MP stills. What DJI’s marketing doesn’t lead with is what happens after you land: because the footage covers the full sphere around the drone, you crop and reframe it in post to pick the angle you actually want, and that crop throws away most of the captured resolution. Exports typically land around 2.7K effective resolution — sharp enough for social and web delivery, noticeably softer than the Avata 2’s dedicated 4K/100fps forward footage. The 42GB of internal storage is generous for a drone this size — DJI rates it at roughly 30 minutes of 8K 360° footage without ever touching a microSD card — which matters more here than on a forward-facing drone, since you’re always recording the full sphere rather than just the frame you plan to keep.
If the plan is to know your shot before you fly it, this isn’t the right tool. If the plan is “something interesting is about to happen and I don’t know which direction to point the camera,” the reframe-after-the-fact workflow is the entire point — action sports, group rides, anything where the best angle only becomes obvious in hindsight.
Flying it: same name, different controller
This is where the Avata 360 breaks from its sibling in a way the shared branding doesn’t warn you about. The DJI Avata 2 flies with the RC Motion 3, a wrist-motion controller that made goggles-first FPV approachable for people who’d never flown anything. The Avata 360 pairs with the standard RC 2 controller — conventional sticks, not motion input. It’s a perfectly capable controller and arguably the more precise choice for deliberate flying, but anyone buying the Avata 360 expecting the Avata 2’s beginner-friendly motion-control experience is in for a surprise. Accessories, spare controllers, and batteries don’t carry over between the two drones either, despite both running DJI’s O4-generation transmission.
At 455g, the Avata 360 is also meaningfully heavier than the Avata 2’s roughly 377g — enough that it crosses well clear of the FAA’s 250g registration threshold, so recreational pilots need to register on FAA DroneZone ($5) and pass the free TRUST test before their first flight. FPV-style goggles flying also legally requires a visual observer, a rule first-time FPV buyers frequently don’t know about until someone points it out.
Why the FCC angle matters here specifically
DJI’s US lineup has been shrinking, not growing. The FCC’s December 2025 covered-list decision blocks new DJI models from US authorization entirely — it’s the reason the DJI Neo 2 and Mini 5 Pro never launched in America. The Avata 360 got its FCC authorization on November 19, 2025, about five weeks before that cutoff took effect, per The Drone Girl’s reporting. DroneXL has since called it “likely the last new DJI drone you can buy in the US” — and as of this review, no Avata 3 has appeared in any FCC filing. For buyers weighing whether to wait for something newer, there is currently nothing newer coming.
Avata 360 vs Avata 2: which one actually fits the shot
| DJI Avata 360 | DJI Avata 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | 8K/60 HDR 360° (dual 1/1.1" 64MP), or 4K/60 single-lens | Forward 4K/100fps, 155° FOV |
| Workflow | Fly first, reframe in post (~2.7K effective after crop) | Frame the shot while flying |
| Controller | Standard RC 2 (sticks) | RC Motion 3 (wrist motion) |
| Weight | ~455 g | ~377 g |
| Flight time | ~23 min rated | ~23 min rated |
| Price (US) | $719-979 | $526-859 street ($849-1,019 DJI list) |
Who should buy the DJI Avata 360
Buy it if the shot you need only becomes clear after the flight — chase scenes with unpredictable subjects, group action where several things happen at once, or any shoot where reframing beats aiming. It’s also the closer of the two Avata drones for buyers coming from 360 cameras who want that same reframe-everything workflow attached to a drone instead of a handheld or helmet mount. Skip it if you want the sharpest possible delivered footage — that’s the Avata 2 — or if the RC Motion 3’s beginner-friendly motion flying is specifically what drew you to the Avata name; the 360 doesn’t offer it.
DJI Avata 360 by the numbers
- November 19, 2025: the date the Avata 360 cleared the FCC, per The Drone Girl — about five weeks before the December 2025 covered-list decision that has since blocked new DJI models from US authorization entirely.
- ~2.7K effective: the typical resolution of a reframed 360° export, cropped down from the full 8K/60 HDR capture on the dual 1/1.1-inch 64MP sensors.
- 455g / 42GB: the Avata 360’s takeoff weight (well past the FAA’s 250g registration threshold) and internal storage, rated by DJI for roughly 30 minutes of 8K 360° footage without a microSD card.
- $719 vs $1,019: the Avata 360’s RC 2 starting price against DJI USA’s own August 2026 list price for the Avata 2’s comparable three-battery Fly More Combo — the newer, more complex camera system is the cheaper drone to start with.
The bottom line
The DJI Avata 360 is a genuinely different tool from the rest of DJI’s FPV lineup, not just an Avata 2 with a wraparound lens — 8K/60 360-degree capture, a reframe-after-you-land workflow, and a standard-stick RC 2 controller that flies nothing like its motion-controlled sibling. Buy it for unpredictable action where the best angle only reveals itself in hindsight; buy the Avata 2 if you already know your shot and want it sharp. With the FCC’s December 2025 covered-list decision closing the door behind it, the Avata 360 may be the last truly new DJI drone this market gets — see how it stacks up against the whole Avata family in our DJI Avata lineup explained, or check where it ranks in our best FPV drone guide. Note that the RC 2 controller above is only the default pairing — DJI also sells a Motion Fly More Combo with Goggles N3 and the RC Motion 3; see our DJI Avata 360 Fly More Combo guide for the full kit breakdown.