Square Marks New Handheld POS Device and Release Schedule

With consumers and small-business owners long accustomed to mobile phones, Square is counting on that familiarity to make its new Square Handheld device an easier-to-use point-of-sale device.

Calling Square Handheld, which is roughly the size of a smart phone though thicker, its most powerful and portable POS device ever, Square intends it to be a multipurpose device. In addition to payment acceptance for tapping and dipping credit and debit cards, it also scans QR codes and barcodes. The built-in 16-megapixel camera also can be used for taking images of products and updating item libraries, Square says. Square Handheld requires a wireless Internet connection for operation.

Square, a unit of Block Inc., famously started out with a payment-acceptance dongle that attached to smart phones. It has since developed countertop terminals, a POS system called Register, a kiosk, and related hardware.

Now, Square Handheld is “our smallest, lightest device—and also significantly slimmer and sleeker than comparable portable devices on the market,” a Square spokesperson tells Digital Transactions News. “It’s built for portability, with the thickest touchscreen (made from Gorilla Glass) in our line-up of hardware devices, an IP54 rating, and a long-lasting battery; all of which make it durable enough to stand up to the rigors of a daily shift.” Gorilla Glass is a chemically strengthened glass often used in mobile devices.

The $399 device weighs 11 ounces and uses the recently released Square Point of Sale app. That app consolidated a variety of Square payment tools that merchants can customize, such as adding the booking component with the retail module for a health-and-beauty seller. Square also offers 12-month financing from $37 per month, subject to approval.

Cases from consumer electronics brand Belkin for Square Handheld also launched Tuesday. These silicone cases have a grippy exterior and include a raised lip to protect the display, camera, and barcode scanner. Square sells them for $39.

Square also says Square Releases is its new biannual product launch, meant to deliver its new features and tools at one time. “Square Releases will cover launches from all corners of the Square ecosystem, including hardware, software, banking, partnerships, and more,” the spokesperson says. It also debuted Tuesday.

Square Releases came about because of feedback from sellers and provides them with a simple and consistent way to receive updates, according to Square. Square Releases will bring some consistency for its sellers, the spokesperson says, and will help them make it “easier to plan, adopt, and stay ahead.”