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.
