Samsung Galaxy Note 3  phablet
A passerby using his mobile phone walks past an advertisement promoting Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 3 at its exhibition hall at a railway station in Seoul on 25 November 2013.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A new version of Echoe Android Lollipop custom ROM has been made available to Samsung's 2013 flagship phablet Galaxy Note 3.

According to Team Android, this new custom ROM is based on the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) 5.0 Lollipop. It comes with new UI, custom options, performance tweaks, battery-life enhancements and many other features to improve user-experience.

Prerequisites (things to remember before installing Custom ROM)

  • This new Echoe Android 5.0 Lollipop Custom ROM series firmware has to be installed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900) model only; if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]
  • Make sure the device is rooted before going forward with custom ROM installation.
  • Users need to install USB drivers on the PC or else the smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Note 3) will not be recognized by the computer.
  • Also the device needs to have more than 80 per cent battery, or else the smartphone might get bricked temporarily if the installation process is interrupted mid-way.
  • Installation of custom ROM requires clearing of memory in the smartphone, so make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/TWRP on the smartphone.
  • Though installing custom ROM improves the device's performance and UI experience, it makes the company warranty-void and they will no longer be liable to provide updates in future [users can restore warranty by flashing the device with stock-ROM].

[Disclaimer:This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable. International Business Times, India Edition cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.]

Tutorial: Step-by-step installation procedure of Echoe Android 5.0 Lollipop Custom ROM on Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900)-

Step 1: Download Echoe Android v5.0 Lollipop Custom ROM (HERE) and Google Apps (HERE/HERE) on your PC.

Step 2: Connect Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N900 to PC via USB cord.

[Note: Before plugging the phone to the computer, be sure that you have installed USB driver software, if not, click HERE to download the firmware]

Step 3: Then, place Android Lollipop zip file and Google Apps .zip file into the phone's SD card memory. [Note: Users are advised to paste the .zip file in SD card root, not in any other folder.]

[Note: Before installing the custom software, make sure that the device has been rooted and has installed ClockworkMod Recovery tool.]

Step 4: Now, turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.

Step 5: Then perform the regular Recovery Mode sortie by press-holding "Volume (up)", "Home" and "Power" buttons.

Step 6: After entering the RECOVERY mode, clear the phone memory, by choosing "wipe data/factory reset" option.

[Note: use "Volume" keys to navigate and "Power" button to select options, while operating under Recovery Mode]

Step 7: Now, clear the cache memory by selecting "wipe cache partition".

Step 8: Then to go back to ClockworkMod recovery, and select "advanced" and tap "wipe dalvik cache" [Note: This step is optional, but many recommend this procedure so that users will not face boot loops or any other errors in the middle of custom ROM installation].

Step 9: Again come back to main recovery screen and then tap "install zip from SD card".

Step 10: Then tap "choose zip from sd card" and go to Android 5.0 Lollipop ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. [Note: use "Volume" keys to navigate and "Power" button to select options]

Step 11: Once done with the installation process, navigate to "+++++Go Back+++++" and re-start the device by opting for "reboot system now" seen in the recovery menu.

Now, your device (Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N900) will take at a few minutes to complete the booting process.

Users then head to Settings >> select "About phone" to confirm the installation of Echoe Android 5.0 Lollipop custom ROM.

[Credits: Team Android]