Square’s new Handheld device, launched today, is what small business owners have been waiting for: a no-fuss, full-function point-of-sale system you can actually carry in your back pocket. It’s priced at $399, but honestly, for what it offers, that might be one of the most underpriced pieces of hardware in the entire retail space.

What It Is

The Square Handheld combines everything a seller needs: a 6.2-inch touchscreen, built-in barcode scanner, tap and chip card reader, and an all-day battery. It runs Square’s full POS software suite, meaning it’s not a “lite” version—it’s the real thing, just shrunk down.

This isn’t just for food trucks and craft fairs (though it’s great for that too). It’s a killer upgrade for any seller who moves around—servers taking tableside payments, staff managing checkout lines on the floor, or mobile vendors looking for a clean, all-in-one setup without the tablet-plus-reader juggling act.

Why It Matters

For years, mobile payments meant stitching together dongles, phones, clunky third-party scanners, and hoping it didn’t all die mid-shift. The Square Handheld removes the mess. It’s one device. It just works.

More importantly, it works in the Square ecosystem, meaning your sales, inventory, receipts, and customer data sync automatically. Staff log in, do their job, and log out. No weird cables. No pairing issues. No training time. That’s a massive operational win.

It’s also hard to overstate how fast and clean this makes the customer experience. A barista doesn’t need to shout over the counter. A vendor doesn’t need to fumble with apps. A server can take the check, scan a card, and be done in five seconds. That speed is money—especially in high-volume settings.

And Yes, $399 Is a Steal

Let’s be clear: this isn’t some luxury device for boutique shops. At $399, the Handheld is cheaper than most iPhones and solves real business friction out of the box. It’s built to be tossed around, dropped, splashed, and still keep working. No monthly fees. No weird leases. You buy it, it’s yours.

Square is clearly making a bet here: if they can own the device layer, they deepen their grip on the payments layer. That’s smart. But it’s also a win for sellers who’ve been forced to cobble together half-solutions for too long.

Final Take

The Square Handheld doesn’t need hype. It’s a practical tool designed for real businesses that value speed, simplicity, and mobility. If you’re already in the Square ecosystem, it’s a no-brainer. If you’re not, this might be the hardware that makes you switch.

Either way, the era of duct-taped POS setups is over. Square just made mobile retail feel like the future again.