What does the H+ symbol mean on your Samsung phone?

The status bar of your smartphone is littered with arcane symbols that are mostly undecipherable. We all know what 4G and 5G are, so what is H+?

H+ helps keeps you connected

When using your Samsung Galaxy phone, you may notice various symbols on the top portion of the screen. This might include the shield icon, which relates to battery degradation and protection, and the triangle symbol that pertains to Data Saver mode. Another symbol you might see relating to network connectivity is the H+ symbol. This symbol indicates that you are connected to the HSPA+ network.

You are probably most familiar with the 5G, 4G, and 3G networks, so this symbol might be puzzling. What is HSPA+, why are you connected to it, and is this better or worse for your signal and reliability? There's also, it should be noted, the standard H symbol without the plus sign, which signifies something different. You probably won't see this symbol too often, and it may be completely gone within the next few years. But for now, let's dive in to help you understand what it is and why you're seeing it.

What HSPA and the H+ symbol mean

HSPA stands for High-Speed Packet Access, and it refers to a network technology that provides data speeds up to 21 Mbps. HSPA+ is an evolved network technology that offers twice the data speeds of HSPA. The actual speeds you will likely experience when connected to these mobile networks is anywhere from 3.5 up to 14 Mbps. Some rural areas, depending on where you are, may experience even slower speeds down to 1.5 Mbps.

This is compared to LTE (Long-Term Evolution) speeds that are from 12 to 40 Mbps and LTE Advanced, which is from 25 up to a blazing fast 220 Mbps. So, what's the point of HSPA and HSPA+? Some regions and mobile carrier networks have not yet fully moved to LTE. The old 3G cellular radio technology known as CDMA has been improved in the meantime with HSPA+ to allow for faster data rates. This allows these 3G networks to continue to offer support for heavy data needs until the carriers fully upgrade their networks in those areas. HSPA+ is basically a cheaper way to upgrade in the short-term so customers are still properly served until a major network overhaul is in the books. HSPA works the same way, but HSPA+ is, as noted, an enhanced version that allows for faster connectivity and response times.

When will you see HSPA+?

Now that you know what it is, you might wonder when and why you might see that your Samsung phone is connected to an HSPA+ network. There are a few reasons. First, it could be because you're in a rural or remote area that hasn't yet upgraded to LTE. If you are using an older Samsung Galaxy phone that does not support Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which allows for making phone calls over the 4G/LTE network, the phone will default to this network instead. Pretty much every Samsung Galaxy phone since the S4 supports VoLTE, however. So, unless you are hanging on to a model that's more than a decade old, this should not happen.

HSPA and HSPA+ will be phased out eventually. Carriers like Bell Mobility in Canada have announced plans to for a complete phase-out of the 3G/HSPA network across the country by March 1, 2027. That said, as long as you have a newer Samsung Galaxy phone, it will connect to 4G or 5G and LTE once the carrier networks upgrade legacy towers to this technology. So, seeing those H+ and H symbols within the Android status bar in a Samsung Galaxy phone will be a thing of the past eventually. For now, at least you know what it means.