Asus announced the new ZenBeam Latte at CES 2021 today, and it’s kind of cute. It is a portable film projector that looks like a one-eyed mini-robot, covered in clothing. Importantly, it burns out its 720p image using up to 300 lumens of LED light, making it brighter than capsule projectors we’ve seen from the likes of Anker, and has a Harman Kardon-tuned 10W speaker system united for a shoe.
Oddly enough, Asus claims that its projector looks like a cup of coffee.
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It will not. It’s not the right shape (just watch the video!), And why would a cup of “homey” coffee (Asus’ word) be gray instead of glorious brown? Asus also claims to be “the first projector to offer outdoor clothing,” which is obviously deceptive.
Of course, you can’t drink Asus drink because it only satisfies light and sound. It can be without a phone or HDMI device, though.
So think of this as an opportunity, appliance makers: pick up the cup of coffee that Asus didn’t. Just make sure it lasts longer than film – Asus builds three times out of a 6,000mAh battery – and becomes bright enough to create a medium-sized screen. Asus says this one can produce a 40-inch image when placed one meter off the wall, 80 inches by two meters, and a maximum of 120 inches (possibly at three meters). Don’t expect a 300-lumen projector to be very bright at nine feet away, though.
Asus says it is coming to the US in the second quarter of the year, but there is no word on prices.