Download and Install Latest Stock Firmware on Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung Galaxy S3 is undoubtedly the most powerful Android device in the world so far. It is coveted by all Android fans and also by those who are not. Well if are a proud owner of this powerhouse device and want to update it to the latest firmware manually, you are at the right spot now. In the present tutorial, I will try to explain how you can download the correct latest stock firmware on your Samsung Galaxy S3 and install it using the latest Odin3 tool.

First of all you need to know the product code and current firmware version of you Galaxy S3. To know the product code of your device dial *2767*4387264636# on you phone’s dialer. To check the current firmware version of your S3, open Settings> About and you will see a screen like this:

Now remember that the product code and firmware version differs from one device to another according to the region or country where it is sold. In most cases you can find out the country or region of a device for which it has been made by referring to the firmware version. In the above screenshot, for example, look at the Baseband version that is: I9300XXALE8. So, in this case:

• “I9300″ is the device model number, that is Galaxy S3;
• “XX” denotes to the Country/Region/Network code, that is Österreich, Belgien, Frankreich, Deutschland, Ungarn, Italien, Spanien, United Kingdom (Western Europe);
• “LE” points to the date of release of this firmware (L is the 12th character of the alphabet and E is the 5th, so it is May 12);
• Finally “8″ shows the Revision version of the firmware.

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• Best Custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3 GT I9300

Now take a look at the following list of Country/Region/Network Codes for Samsung Android devices. It will help you select the correct latest firmware for your Samsung Galaxy S3:

               OS             Type                 PDA              PHONE         CSC  

• 4.0.4        Unbranded         ZSALED         XXLEF        OZSALED
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALEF        DDLE9        ODDALE7
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE9        XXLE8        OJVALE9
• 4.0.4        Branded               BUALE6        BULE6        VFGALE6
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        XXLE8        ITVLE7
• 4.0.4        Branded               XXALE8        BWLE5        O3UALE5
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        DXLE8        OLBALE5
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        XXLE8        NEEALE3
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        DDLE8        ODDALE5
• 4.0.4        Branded               XXALE8        NELE4        3IEALE3
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        XXLE8        LUXALE5
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        XXLE8        DBTALE5
• 4.0.4        Branded               XXALE8        NELE4        HTSALE2
• 4.0.4        Unbranded         XXALE8        XXLE8        PHNALE4
• 4.0.4        Branded               BVALE4        BVLE4        AMNALE4
• 4.0.4        Branded               BVALE4        BVLE4        FTMALE4
• 4.0.4         Branded               BVALE4        BVLE4        IDEALE4
• 4.0.4         Branded               BVALE4        BVLE4        ONEALE4
• 4.0.4         Branded               BVALE4        BVLE4        ORAALE4
• 4.0.4         Unbranded         XXALE8        XXLE8        OXAALE8
• 4.0.4      Branded                  XXALE8        NELE4        H3GALE4

Country/Region Codes of Samsung Firmwares:

Code         Country

AW   →     Hungary
AZ    →      France
BD    →      Cyprus, Greece
BY    →      Greece
CB    →       Poland
CE    →       Benelux
CP    →       Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
DB    →      Vietnam
DC    →      Thailand
DD   →      India
DT    →      Australia
DX    →      Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam
DZ    →      Malaysia, Singapore
JA    →      South Africa
JC    →      Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia
JP   →       Arabic
JR   →       Arabic
JV    →      Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,South Africa, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey
JW    →     West Africa
JX    →      Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,South Africa, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey
KA    →     Turkey
ME    →    France
MK    →    Serbia
MS    →     France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK
MT    →     Switserland
MY    →    Italy
NH    →    Latvia
PO   →      France
PU    →     Russia
UB    →    Brazil
XA    →    Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom
XB    →     Denmark, Norway, Sweden
XC    →     Portugal, Spain
XD    →    Croatia, Czech, Hungary, Slovakia
XE    →     Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine
XF    →     Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania
XP    →     UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Portuguese, Turkey
XX    →     Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
XW    →    Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
ZC    →     China, Hong Kong
ZH    →     Hong Kong
ZS    →      China, Hong Kong
ZT    →     Taiwan

Download Latest Firmware for Galaxy S III:

I think, now you can easily choose the correct firmware version for your Samsung Galaxy S3. So, it is time now to download the latest firmware available for your Galaxy S3. Here are the links:

• Droidviews Firmwares for Galaxy S3

• Samsung-Updates
• Android Firmwares

How to Install Stock Firmware to Galaxy S3:

Well, if you have downloaded the correct latest firmware for your device, your next move should be flash it on your device. You can do it using either Odin3-v3.04, or Mobile Odin Pro app by XDA dev Chainfire. In the following tutorial we shall explore both methods.

Basics of Flashing:

Here are a few essentials to keep in mind while flashing a stock firmware on a Samsung Galaxy series phone.

PDA- refers to the build version of the software/firmware

Phone- refers to the baseband/modem version

CSC- is the Consumer Software Customisation and is specific to geographical region and carriers. It contains the software packages specific to that region, carrier branding and also APN settings for data connection, MMS etc for your service provider.

.PIT- refers to the partition information table you only need it if you screw up your partition table or if the firmware specifically requires it because of a change in the partition table layout. It’s very likely you may never have to use this.

Suppose the firmware you downloaded comprises of only one .tar file, it means that it contains and combines all required files, PDA+Phone+CSC, in the one file. In such a case, you need to select only the PDA button at Odin and then click on Start button to initiate flashing.

In case the firmware package/archive contains multiple .tar files, you will have to add corresponding .tar files to specific areas on Odin:

1. Install a Firmware Using Odin3-v3.04

Odin3-v3.04 is the latest version of the PC utility by Odia that is used to  flash kernels and firmwares on Samsung Android devices. Here are the steps that you need to follow to do the same.

1. Download the Firmware file. If it is in zip, extract it to get .tar.md5 file. Do not extract it further.
2. Download Odin3-v3.0.zip and extract it to the desktop of your PC.
3. Download and install Samsung Kies, or Samsung USB Drivers on your PC.
4. Charge your device to at least 70% of battery level.
5. Back up the data like contacts
6. Turn on the USB Debugging Mode on your device: Settings> Developer Options> USB Debugging
7. Now Power off you device and boot it into Download Mode: Press and hold the Volume Down + Center Home keys simultaneously and then press the Power keys. Hold the three button for some time and you will get a screen as shown below.
8. Now press the Volume Up key to enter the download mode.
9. Okay, now double click the “Odin3-v3.04.exe”. You will see a new pop-up window (see below).
10. Connect your device to the PC using a USB cable and wait for the Odin3 to find your device. The ID:COM port at Odin3 will turn yellow to notify that it has found your device. It it does not turn yellow, make sure that you have turned on the USB Debugging Mode, and installed the USB drivers.
11. Now click on the PDA button on the Odin3, browse to the .tar.md5 file (ROM file) and select it.
12. Make sure that no other option except “Auto Reboot” and “F. Reset Time” are ticked on the Odin3.
13. Make sure that everything looks as show in the image above. If yes, hit on the START button.
14. Odin will now start flashing the firmware to your Galaxy S3 and on the completion of installation, you will see a “PASS!” message and ID:COM port turned green.
15. Now your device should reboot automatically and it will will be updated to the latest firmware. To make sure, go to Settings> About and check the FW version there.

2. Install a Firmware Using Mobile Odin:

You can also install  firmware on your Samsung Galaxy S III using the Mobile Odin utility app developed by Chainfire. Here are the steps:

1. Download and install the Mobile Odin Pro app on your device. Note that to be able to use it, you will have to root your Galaxy S3 first. If you have not done that yet, read our Rooting Guide.
2. Connect the device to computer and copy the ROM file to the Internal or External storage of your device. Remember that the ROM file should be with .tar.md5 extension. If you downloaded a .zip or .rar file, extract it to get the .tar.md5 file. In my case, the name of the ROM file is “GT-I9300_H3G_I9300XXALE8_I9300H3GALE4_I9300NELE4.tar”. It might be different in your case.
3. Now open the Mobile Odin. The app will ask you to download some additional data needed to make it work properly. So you need a fast internet connection with a data pack, or a good Wi-Fi network. Do not worry, it is not a big file just 8-9 MB.
4. When the download finishes, all features of the Mobile Odin will be unlocked.
5. Now go to “Open File” option and select the Internal or External SD Card, wherever you have copied the ROM.
6. Select the ROM file and confirm the choice. Mobile Odin will start installing the firmware to your device.
7. When the instillation finishes, you device will reboot itself and the new firmware will be installed to it. Cheers!!!

If this tutorial has been helpful to you in anyway, please share your experience with us and share it with your friends on social community sites.