Square Handheld POS

Pros

• Comes loaded with Square’s free POS software
• Easy to use
• Long battery life
• Offline mode available
• Month-to-month contract

Cons

• No built-in receipt printer
• More advanced features require paid monthly subscription

What Is Square Handheld?

Square Handheld is a POS device launched by Square in 2025. This handheld device packs a lot of power and features in one pocketable package that weighs less than one pound.

The Square Handheld’s portable design makes it a great option for restaurants that want to take tableside payments and orders. Don’t count it out for retail either, as its strong software and features simplify managing inventory and accepting payments on the sales floor. Service-based businesses will also appreciate being able to schedule appointments and upload client photos from this sleek device.

Square Handheld Pricing

Square Handheld is priced at $399 for the device, or you can finance your purchase for $37 per month for 12 months.

Square Handheld uses Square’s proprietary payment processing. The processing rate is 2.6% + $0.15 per transaction for every swiped, dipped, or tapped transaction. A separate Square card reader is required to swipe credit or debit cards. A fee of 6% + $0.30 is charged for Cash App Afterpay transactions.

Square Handheld comes loaded with Square’s POS software. According to Square, the software has been redesigned to provide seven different modes that are customized with industry-specific features. Pricing for Square software is as follows:

Square Handheld comes loaded with Square’s free POS software. You can upgrade to Square Plus, which boasts advanced features, industry-specific features, and lower processing rates. The Premium plan is a custom solution that requires a custom quote from Square.

Square Handheld Overall Design

Square Handheld has a 6.2-inch screen and measures just over 7 inches in length and 3 inches in width. At just 0.86 inches at its thickest point and weighing just 11 ounces, Square Handheld is small and lightweight enough to carry around your business or slip into a pocket when not in use.

Square Handheld comes equipped with a power cable and a power adapter. According to Square, the battery is designed to last all day when fully charged. A barcode scanner is located at the top of the device, while the dip slot is on the bottom. Square Handheld accepts tapped and dipped payments out of the box. However, a Stripe magstripe card reader will need to be plugged into the charging point if you wish to accept swiped payments.

Square Handheld is water and dust resistant and is equipped with Gorilla Glass Victus cover glass to protect against scratches and drops. A Belkin SheerForce case in a variety of colors is available to protect your device for $39.

Square Handheld also integrates with other peripherals, including receipt printers and kitchen display systems. It even features a 16-megapixel built-in camera with integrated flash.

Square Handheld comes with a one-year limited warranty.

Ease Of Use

As with other Square POS devices, it’s easy to set up, use, and train employees on the Square Handheld. The device comes loaded with Square’s free POS software, so if you’re familiar with this, you’ll have no problem getting started. Even if you’re new to Square, you’ll find that it’s extremely user-friendly and intuitive.

Square Handheld’s slimmer, lightweight design makes it more portable than Square Terminal, which is better suited for use on a countertop. This design comes in handy when it’s time to manage your inventory, allowing you to easily scan barcodes without having to use a bulky device.  The device is designed to be durable to withstand drops and everyday usage, although purchasing a case would be worth the small investment for added protection.

In addition to its easy-to-use software, we also appreciate that Square has transparent flat-rate payment processing that’s easy to understand.

Square Handheld Features

Don’t let its smaller size fool you — Square packs a lot of features into the Handheld.

Here’s a breakdown of the most notable features:

• Square POS software: The Square Handheld is already loaded with Square’s free POS software, making it a truly plug-and-play POS system.
• Modes to fit your business: The recently updated software includes seven different modes, including Bar mode, Quick Service mode, and Retail mode.
• Payment acceptance: As mentioned, you can accept swiped (with a Square card reader), dipped, and tapped payments. With the built-in scanner, you can also accept QR codes.
• Barcode scanner: Square Handheld’s barcode scanner makes it easy to scan products, add items to your inventory, or add items to a cart.
• Restaurant features: With Square Handheld, you can take tableside orders, accept payments from anywhere in your restaurant, and send orders right to the kitchen.
• Retail features: The built-in barcode scanner is great for adding and managing inventory, while employees can check out customers right on the sales floor.
• Service business features: Create new appointments and manage existing customer appointments right from the palm of your hand.
• Built-in camera: The 16 MP camera (with built-in flash) makes it easy to snap photos of your products or even add client photos (great for spas, hair salons, and other businesses in the beauty industry).
• Offline mode: No Wi-Fi? No problem. Square Handheld has an offline mode that lets you accept payments even when you’re not connected. (Just make sure that you connect and upload your transactions within 24 hours!) Also note that offline payments are not supported on older versions of the Square Reader.

Overall, Square Handheld boasts many of the great features that users have come to know and love from Square. One potential downside is that, unlike the Square Terminal, the Handheld does not have a built-in printer. However, receipts, kitchen tickets, and barcodes can be printed through a separate network printer.

Customer Service & Support

Square offers multiple ways to get in touch if you need support for your hardware or software.

If you need to speak to a live person, you can contact Square by phone, email, or live chat. Square also has great self-support resources, including a knowledgebase, community forum, company blog, and active profiles on social media.

As far as the quality of support, reps are generally friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.

User Reviews

Because Square Handheld is a new product, at the time of this review, there is not enough information to determine what users think about this specific product. Instead, we have to look at user reviews for Square as a whole.

Other Square hardware (like the Square Terminal) receives mostly positive reviews for ease of use and sleek styling. Based on this, we can only expect that (barring some serious glitches or quality issues) Square Handheld will receive the same positive reception.

While Square’s hardware generally receives positive marks, most complaints will likely surround Square’s payment processing. Square’s hardware, features, low pricing, and customer support are what have contributed to Square’s positive reputation and have placed it among the best POS systems for small business.

How Square Handheld Compares To Other POS Hardware

There are a few POS devices that are similar to Square Handheld: Clover Flex and Toast Go.

Final Verdict: Is Square Handheld Worth It?

Although it’s only recently hit the market, Square Handheld is already making a name for itself among other portable, handheld POS devices. It’s a great option for restaurants, retail shops, or even service businesses that don’t want a stationary, clunky system and want the ability to take orders, accept payments, and manage inventory without being held back.

With its newly updated POS app preloaded, Square Handheld is a plug-and-play system that can be customized to fit the needs of your business. In addition, you’ll receive the same great customer service, affordable and transparent pricing, and flat-rate payment processing that we’ve come to expect from Square.

Square Handheld is affordable, there are no long-term contracts, and a free monthly subscription is available. While more time is needed to determine if the Square Handheld is durable enough to stand up to the competition, we can only expect that like Square’s other hardware, the Square Handheld will truly deliver in terms of quality, ease of use, and value.

POS Hardware & Mobile Credit Card Reader Rating Methodology

We spend hours researching and evaluating each POS hardware and mobile payments device that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate our product ratings.

When rating POS hardware (which might include registers, mobile card readers, and other similar devices), we use a 38-point rubric that looks at pricing, ease of use, features, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating.

• Pricing: 40% of the total star rating
• Ease of Use: 20% of the total star rating
• Features: 25% of the total star rating
• Customer Service: 10% of the total star rating
• User Reviews: 5% of the total star rating

Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we look at specific attributes, like whether reduced fees are available for multiple terminals, which payment processing options are available, and how well the hardware integrates with POS or payment processing software apps. We’re also paying careful attention to hardware’s relative cost, any associated fees, and whether financing is available, among other things.

Learn more about how we rate POS hardware.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

Square Handheld	Visit Site

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Square Handheld for yourself.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

Square Handheld	Visit Site

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Square Handheld for yourself.