Handheld POS Terminal DCA-H30

A Handheld POS for the Work That Is Not a Card Payment

Most mobile POS deployments in restaurants and small retail do not process a card on the handheld. The card is taken at a counter terminal, or the payment is cash, or the customer pays at a fixed till on the way out. The handheld’s job is to take the order, print the slip and update the table — and buying an EMV-certified payment terminal to do that is buying a certification you will never use.

The DCA-H30 is that device: a 6-inch Android handheld with a 58 mm printer, a chip and contactless reader, Wi-Fi, 4G and a 7.6 V / 2,600 mAh battery — the same physical platform as the certified DCA-H50, without the payment certification stack.

What “Without Certification” Actually Means

Being precise here saves an expensive mistake in either direction.

The hardware reads smart cards to ISO 7816, contactless cards to ISO 14443 A/B and magnetic stripes on all three tracks. It will read a bank card. What it does not carry is the EMV Level 1 and Level 2 certification, the PCI PTS approval for PIN entry, or the scheme approvals for contactless payment.

So the honest divide is:

• Use it for order entry, table-side ordering, queue busting, delivery confirmation, gift and loyalty card reading, staff authentication, and closed-loop stored value where the scheme is your own.
• Do not use it for accepting a customer’s bank card as payment. An acquirer will not approve it, and running card data through an uncertified device is a compliance problem, not just a commercial one.

If card-present payment is in scope, the H50 is the same device with the certification — same screen, same printer, same battery, higher unit cost and a longer qualification path.

The Platform, Shared

Because it shares the platform with the certified model, everything that is good about the physical design carries over:

• 6.0-inch IPS at 1440 × 720 — a wide, sharp panel for an order screen with modifiers and a table map.
• Capacitive touch specified to work with gloves and wet fingers — restaurant kitchens, bars and food counters are wet environments.
• 58 mm thermal printer with a 40 mm roll — an order slip or a customer receipt, printed where the order is taken.
• 2 PSAM slots (ISO 7816) — for a closed-loop or loyalty scheme that provisions its own keys on a card.
• 410 g with the battery, 224 × 84 × 18 mm (51 mm at the printer bulge) — a device designed to be carried in one hand with the printer facing away.
• Wi-Fi dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz, BT 5.0, 4G — the 5 GHz support matters in a crowded restaurant Wi-Fi environment where 2.4 GHz is saturated.

1.8 GHz Quad-Core and 2 GB RAM

The CPU is a 1.8 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage, running Android 11 under a GMS-certified Safedroid build.

GMS certification is the specification worth highlighting, because it decides which apps can be installed. Without Google Mobile Services, apps distributed through Play Services — including many commercial POS and delivery apps — either will not install or fail at runtime. A GMS-certified build means the app your operation already uses will run.

2 GB RAM is the practical floor for a modern Android POS app with a product catalogue and a table map. It is adequate; it is not generous. If your app is heavy, or you plan to run several apps at once, consider the 8-inch DCA-H80, which is available with 3 or 4 GB.

Battery and Printing

A 7.6 V / 2,600 mAh lithium pack, charged over USB-C at 5 V / 2 A. The higher-voltage pack is what allows a 58 mm mechanism to print without a large current draw — a 3.7 V pack driving the same printer would need a boost converter and would sag under a burst of printing.

The 40 mm roll diameter is the operational limit to plan around: a 40 mm roll holds noticeably less paper than a 58 mm roll, so a high-volume site changes rolls more often. For a restaurant taking orders at tables that is a roll every day or two; for a queue-busting deployment in a supermarket it is more frequent.

Radios and Bands

4G in a European default configuration: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B28 and TDD B38/B40/B41, with 3G on WCDMA B1/B8 and 2G on GSM 900/1800. If the deployment is outside Europe, confirm the band variant before ordering — this default set does not cover North American LTE bands.

Satellite positioning covers GPS with A-GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS or Galileo, and there is a 5 MP autofocus rear camera with flash for delivery photos and damaged-item records.

Where the DCA-H30 Fits

• Restaurant table-side ordering. Order entry and a printed slip, with the payment taken at a certified terminal.
• Queue busting in retail. Order or reservation capture without a card transaction.
• Gift, loyalty and closed-loop cards. Chip, contactless and magstripe reading with PSAM support.
• Delivery and field service. Printed proof of delivery with photo capture.
• Not for accepting bank cards. No EMV or PCI PTS certification — use the DCA-H50.
• Not for heavy multi-app use. 2 GB RAM; the 8-inch H80 offers 3 or 4 GB.

The Handheld Range

• DCA-H30 — this unit. 6-inch, 1.8 GHz, 58 mm printer, GMS certified, no payment certification.
• DCA-H50 — the same platform with EMV L1&L2, PCI PTS 6.x and an FBI-certified fingerprint reader.
• DCA-H20 — 5.7-inch PDA, 300 g, no printer.
• DCA-H80 — 8-inch tablet-class, 58 or 80 mm printer, 3–4 GB RAM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can it take card payments?

It reads chip, contactless and magnetic stripe cards, but it does not carry EMV or PCI PTS certification, so it is not approved for accepting bank card payments. Use the H50 for that.

Can it read our loyalty or gift card?

Yes — ISO 7816 chip, ISO 14443 A/B contactless and three-track magstripe, with two PSAM slots for schemes that provision their own keys.

Does it have Google Play services?

Yes, the build is GMS certified, so apps that depend on Google services will install and run.

How long does the battery last?

A 7.6 V / 2,600 mAh pack with USB-C charging. Runtime depends on printing volume; plan a mid-shift charge for continuous order printing.

Does it print on 58 mm paper?

Yes, 58 mm thermal with a 40 mm maximum roll diameter.

What is the warranty?

12 months minimum. OEM branding, app pre-installation and MDM configuration available.

Next step: tell us the workflow, whether any card payment is in scope, and the app you will run — we will confirm whether the H30 or the certified H50 is the right unit and quote factory-direct. Email sales@dcapos.com or contact us.

Related: DCA-H61 handheld POS · POS systems · DCA-H50 certified terminal · DCA-H80 8-inch mobile POS · POS peripherals

OS	Safedroid OS (based on Android 11.0) GMS certified	WIFI	IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, support 2.4GHz and 5GHz
CPU	1.8GHz Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53	BT	BT 5.0 and earlier
ROM	16GB ROM EMMC	4G	European version(Default): FDD-LTE: B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B28 TDD-LTE: B38/B40/B41
RAM	2GB RAM LPDDR	3G	European version(Default): WCDMA: B1/B8
Display	6.0 inch TFT IPS LCD, resolution 1440*720	2G	European version(Default): GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 900/1800MHz
Panel	Ultra sensitive capacitive touch screen, can work with gloves and wet fingers	Magcard reader	Supports ISO7811/7812/7813, and supports triple track (tracks 1/2/3), bi-directional
Dimensions	224mm X 84mm X 18mm (max 51mm)	Smart Card reader	Supports ISO7816 standard
Weight	410g (Battery included)	Contactless Card reader	Supports 14443A/ 14443B
Keys	Physical keys: Power on/off, Volume + /-, Scan	Printer	High-Speed Thermal Printer; 58mm printing paper ; 40mm paper roll
Input	Chinese/English, and supports handwriting and soft keyboard	Rear Camera	5MP camera with LED flash and auto-focus function
Satellite Positioning	Support GPS(A-GPS)/ Bei-Dou/ Glonass or Galileo	Micro SD Card Slot	1 Pcs
LEDS	3 colors are used to indicate	SIM Card Slot	1 Pcs Micro SIM
Audio	Speaker, Microphone, Buzzer	PSAM Card Slot	2 Pcs Conforms to ISO7816 standard
Battery	Li-ion battery, 7.6V/2600mAh	USB Port	1 Pcs Type C USB
Charging Port	Type C USB Port, 5V DC/2A	Certification	Electromagnetic