ASUS ZenBeam Latte projector is as portable as a cup of coffee

Joining the many laptops it revealed at CES 2021 is ASUS' new ZenBeam Latte, a projector with a name inspired by its tiny size. The projector is designed to be portable, something underscored by its built-in speaker and compact nature. Among other things, the Latte L1 features a fabric exterior that ASUS claims 'enhances audio with increased sound penetration.'

The ZenBeam Latte is about the size of a portable Bluetooth speaker — and it can function as one with the built-in Harman Kardon 10-watt speaker and Bluetooth connectivity. When used as a portable speaker, users can expect around 12 hours of run time on a charge.

The projector aspect of the Latte L1 is the most interesting part, of course, offering projected image sizes ranging from 40-inches to 120-inches. The model has a modest 300 lumens of brightness via LEDs and can run for around three hours when a video is projected — just enough time to get through a movie or two.

The projector has three modes: Gaming, Movie, and Music, each of which is self-explanatory. As expected, users can stream content with the Latte, but they'll have to get their apps through Aptoide TV, a free app store alternative for entertainment hardware based on Android.

Rounding out the features is Latte's mug-shaped design, which makes it convenient enough to carry around and use in a variety of places — hotels, camping sites, and similar. ASUS plans to launch the ZenBeam Latte L1 projector in North America in Q2 2021, but it's pricing information hasn't yet been released.