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The Galaxy Note 3 is Samsung’s latest flagship in phablet (phone+tablet) category. The device has already been launched in Exynos and Snapdragon variants like the Galaxy S4 and has reached or been reaching most carriers across the world with different model branding. On hardware side, the Note 3 bears all rings and bells associated with a Galaxy flagship and sports a 5.7-inch Full HD super AMOLED display with 386 ppi and 1080 x 1920 px resolution, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 / Exynos 5 Octa 5420 processor, Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 / Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 / Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, and a Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery. The device comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box. All Galaxy Note phablet devices are known for the innovative S Pen stylus and, being the most advance device of the series, Note 3 has some awesome S-Pen features.

Android, being an Open Source platform, offers a lot more freedom that other operating systems. If you own any popular Android device, you have access not only to millions of apps, but also to hundreds of custom ROMs and mods. While many users feel themselves happy without making any custom modification to their device, there are still many who feel Android tasteless without rooting and installing custom ROMs and mods. They play with ROMs and root apps to get better battery, performance and customization. However, there are times when we feel nostalgic about the stock features of the device and then think of returning to the official firmware firmware. Sometimes our device gets stuck and refuses to boot properly. Flashing the stock firmware often proves to be the only remedy to return our device to normal state.

If you ever need to restore stock firmware on your Samsung Galaxy Note 3, here is a guide that will help you install the original firmware. However, there are a few things you need to know (especially if you’re new) and some preparation must make before proceeding to install a firmware.

About Galaxy Note 3 Firmwares:

Know Your Note 3′s Model:

As we mentioned above, Galaxy Note 3 comes in various models based on processor type, network connectivity and carriers. Before installing a firmware, you’ll have to download it and to do so, it’s very important that you grab the correct firmware file first. This is how you can check which model of Note 3 you have: go to Settings> General> About and check Model number. Most firmware files have the model number of the device they are meant for in their very name.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
For your reference, I have listed the major variants of the Galaxy Note 3 below:


Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900 (Exynos Octa Core)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Duos SM-N9002 (China)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9006 (China/WCDMA)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9000Q (Turkey)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 LTE SM-N9005 (Snapdragon Quad Core)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900S (Snapdragon 800 / LTE-A)
T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900T
Sprint Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900P
AT&T Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900A
Canadian Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900W8 (Bell, Rogers, Telus, Wind Mobile, Virgin, Koodo, Mobilicity, Sasktel and Latin American countries)
Latin American Note 3 SM-N900W8 (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, etc.)
US Cellular Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900R4
Verizon Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900V

You might find 2 types of firmwares even within a particular model number. Such firmwares are generally known as Branded and Unbranded ones. If your device is locked to a network provider/carrier, it’s a branded device. Therefore you must install a firmware that is meant for your carrier. Similarly, if you are able to use any SIM card on your phone, it’s unbranded, and so you can install any firmware on it that is for unbranded Note 3.

How to Change the CSC code:

Please note that performing the CSC change action will factory reset your phone. It means it will take your phone to the status as it was when you bought it. All data present on the internal storage will be wiped. Therefore, do not forget to backup you data before you proceed.

1. Open your phone’s dialer and type the following code with your device IMEI number: *#272*Phone’s IMEI Here#
   
2. You can find your phones IMEI number on a white sticker beneath phone’s battery.
   

You will see a pop-up screen with a list of CSC codes. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
1. Select the CSC that you want and tap on “Install”.
   
2. Your phone will be reboot automatically.
   
3. Congrats! Your Samsung Galaxy phone’s CSC has been changed successfully.
   

Change CSC Code on Galaxy S4 and Other Galaxy Devices:

If the above set of code *#272*Phone’s IMEI Here# did not work for you, try the CSC Changer app developed by bassie1995. I have tested it on my Galaxy S4 and it works like a charm. But unlike the above method it requires root access on your Samsung Galaxy device. You can later unroot your device by choosing “Full Unroot” option present under SuperSU Settings and then by flashing the stock Kernel.

Warning: Whatever method you chose to change CSC on your Galaxy phone or tablet, it is sure to wipe all data and apps present on the internal SD Card of your device. So act wisely and backup all data first.

Download CSC Changer app and copy it to your phone by connecting to computer: CSC-Changer.apk
If the above app does not work for you, try this app: cscselect-5.apk
Also download the BusyBox app: stericson.busybox-141-v9.3.apk (Google Play Link)
Make sure you install the BusyBox first and CSC Changer requires it pre-installed to work.
Open the CSC Changer app and select “Change CSC”.
This will take you directly to the available CSC codes list on your device. Please note that you will be able to see

1. many codes only if your device’s firmware has multi-CSC.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
   
2. Select your desired CSC and tap on “Install” option.
   
3. You device will now reboot and when it wakes up, it’ll have the new CSC.
   

Finding the Latest Firmware:

While looking for a firmware, you might see several firmwares listed for the model number and CSC of your Galaxy Note 3. The names of Samsung firmwares often start with the model number of the device followed by sequence of alphabets and numbers. You can find the latest firmware by comparing the alphabetical order between the firmware versions. See the examples given below:
In the above examples of the firmware versions for Galaxy Note 3, we have four types of info. XEO with black shows the CSC code for Poland. Next comes N9005, that shows the model number of the device the firmware is meant for. In this case, it is the LTE (Snapdragon) version of the device. Then comes XX that denotes to region that is Europe. The last 5 characters show the firmware version. In the first (top) firmware, you can see that noticed from left to right, UBMI7 is greater than UALQ8, and UAKL3 is less than both. Thus the top firmware is the latest of all.

Where to Download Firmware for Galaxy Note 3:

To download the firmware for your Galaxy Note 3, click on the device name.

• Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900
  
• Galaxy Note 3 Duos SM-N9002
  
• Galaxy Note 3 LTE SM-N9005
  
• Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9000Q
  
• Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900S
  
• T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900T
  
• Sprint Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900P
  
• AT&T Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900A (firmware not available)
  
• Canadian Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900W8
  
• US Cellular Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900R4 (firmware not available)
  
• Verizon Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900V (firmware not available)
  

Installing Firmware on Note 3:


Download Odin:
Odin is the unofficial version of Samsung’s tool for installing firmware to its Android devices. To be able to install a firmware on your Note 3, you will need this tool. Unfortunately, Odin is not available for Mac or Linux and so you must have a Windows PC to use it. If you have a Mac or Ubuntu computer, you can download and use Heimdall for the purpose.

Odin_v3.09.zip
Dev-Host - Odin_v3.09.zip - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service

To download all versions of Odin, click here or here
Dev-Host - Odin_v3.09_v3.07_v3.06_v3.04_v1.85_v1.83.zip - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service
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Booting Galaxy Note 3 in Download Mode:
All Samsung Galaxy devices need to be booted into Download Mode before installing a firmware using Odin. You can put your Galaxy Note 3 into Download mode by pressing Volume Down + Home + Power buttons together for 2-3 seconds. When the screen turns up, you’ll be asked to press Volume Up to enter Download mode.

Do it.
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Enable USB Debugging on Note 3:

Before installing a firmware, USB Debugging must be enabled on your Galaxy Note 3 by going to Settings> General> Developer options. Developer options are hidden by default on all Android device running Android 4.2 and up. To make them visible, go to Settings> General> About on your Note 3 and tap Build Number for 7 times.
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When it is done, go back to Settings panel and you’ll be able to see Developer Options there. Tap on it and select USB Debugging. This mode prepares your device by allowing the computer to make changes to your device.

Using Odin to Install Firmware:

1. Download the appropriate firmware file. If it is packed in a .Zip or .Rar archive, extract it on your computer. All firmware files have .tar.md5 extension.
   
2. Download and extract/unzip the Odin zip file and launch the .exe file by double-clicking it.
   
3. Boot your Note 3 into download mode by turning it off and pressing the following key combination: Volume Down + Home + Power.
   
4. Connect the device to computer using USB cable and wait till Odin detects it. A successful connection is indicated by Blue signal at ID:COM and “Added!!” text at the message box on Odin.
   
5. “Auto Reboot” and “F. Reset Time” options are selected on Odin by default. Let them be as they are and do not check any other option on Odin.
   
6. If you are using Odin3 3.09, click on “AP” button, navigate to the firmware file and select it.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
   
7. Finally, hit the “Start” button and wait till the installation finishes. It might take a few minutes to complete.
   
8. When the firmware is installed, you will see “PASS!!” message on Odin and your Note 3 will reboot automatically.
   

The first boot after installing a firmware takes a longer time than it takes usually. Wait for a while and then your phone should be ready to use.

Fixing a Bootloop on Galaxy Note 3:

Sometimes a little obstacle pops up while your phone tries to boot up. Bootloop is a situation where your see the device logo or animation repeated constantly. The clash between two incompatible files in the system after installing a new firmware often causes bootloop. To fix it, do the following steps:

1. Pull out the back cover of your Galaxy Note 3 and take out the battery.
   
2. Wait for a minute and place the battery back to it place.
   
3. Then press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power keys simultaneously till you see the Samsung logo appear-disappear-appear and disappear again. It’s just the moment when you have to release the Power button. Keep the other buttons pressed till you see a green Android robot followed by Android System Recovery.
   
4. Here you’ll see a small list of options in blue text. This screen does not support touch, so use the volume keys to scroll/highlight and the power key to select an option.
   
5. Go to “wipe data/factory reset” option and confirm your choice by selecting “yes”.
   
6. Finally, select “reboot system now”.
   
7. Your Note 3 will boot normally now.