You Can Wash This Phone Under Running Water

Hands-On
By published

The waterproof Saygus V Squared is a superhero of a phone, packing Kevlar edges, USB Type-C 3.0, Wireless HD streaming and much more.

LAS VEGAS — The Saygus V Squared already offered a lot when it was unveiled during 2015's CES, but at this year show, the company unveiled an updated version of this never-released phone that can do so much more. For one thing, you can take the phone apart to its circuit-board level and wash it with soap if it gets dirty. Expected to arrive on T-Mobile this quarter for between $500 and $700, the Saygus V Squared is jam packed with other cool tools like improved streaming technology and a USB Type-C port.

I wasn't able to try actually washing the phone during my time with it, as Saygus said it is still testing the feature. When I asked if the V Squared could go inside a dishwasher, company reps said they will have to test that and get back to me. On paper, the phone just has an IPX7 rating, meaning it's waterproof, so finding out just how washable the phone actually is will be something to keep an eye on.

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I did get to try out the other cool features. Saygus says the V Squared is the first phone to offer wireless HD streaming technology, which the phone maker says can transmit more data in a short distance. During my time with the phone, it streamed very smoothly to the TV it was connected to. The cursor on the phone's display and on the television screen moved around in sync.

Since last year's version, the Saygus V Squared has gained a couple of upgrades. In addition to the washability and wireless HD support, the Saygus V Squared now runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and has a USB Type-C 3.0 port. With USB Type-C 3.0, the Saygus V Squared can support speedy data transfers, and you can conveniently plug in your cable any side up.

Because of its protective Kevlar edges, the phone felt sturdy when I held it, though the version I saw the final production release yet. For instance, a fingerprint scanner is supposed to be housed on the edge of the device, though I didn't notice one on the V Squared I saw. The phone's 5-inch full HD display was also sharp and colorful, though.

The phone's 3100-mAh battery will charge up fast, thanks to Qualcomm's Quickcharge 2.0 technology and support wireless Qi charging. With dual microSD card slots that can read up to 128GB each and an internal storage of 64GB, you could potentially carry almost half a terabyte of data on the phone. And the V Squared's quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU should prove capable of multi-tasking.

Although the previous version of the Saygus V Squared never shipped because of production issues, Saygus says it has taken over production, which should iron out any shipping problems. We certainly hope to get our hands on the Saygus V Squared to put all its claims to the test.

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Cherlynn Low
Cherlynn Low

Cherlynn is Deputy Editor, Reviews at Engadget and also leads the site's Google reporting. She graduated with a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University before joining Tom's Guide and its sister site LaptopMag as a staff writer, where she covered wearables, cameras, laptops, computers and smartphones, among many other subjects.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • dantorquay
    320GB is not half a terrabyte
    Reply
  • rgd1101
    17307182 said:
    320GB is not half a terrabyte

    "almost half a terabyte "
    Reply
  • dantorquay
    17307259 said:
    17307182 said:
    320GB is not half a terrabyte

    "almost half a terabyte "
    It's not though. It's 180gb away. In fact it's closer to 250 than 500
    Reply
  • rgd1101
    17307266 said:
    17307259 said:
    17307182 said:
    320GB is not half a terrabyte

    "almost half a terabyte "
    It's not though. It's 180gb away. In fact it's closer to 250 than 500

    so it half full. and I guess someone have nothing better to do.
    Reply
  • smohanv
    It is now one year since Saygus came up in CES2015 and device is not shipped yet. I wonder how many customers are still left there not claiming refund yet..
    Reply
  • rgd1101
    17341920 said:
    It is now one year since Saygus came up in CES2015 and device is not shipped yet. I wonder how many customers are still left there not claiming refund yet..

    what device? this article is from CES 2016
    Reply