HELP! Flashing other Stock ROM on Chinese Galaxy Note 3 GM-N9005

[Wildwild101]

I have a chinese version of the Note 3 GM-N9005 but I could not flash it with any other stock ROM (such as the International version). It only accepts the Chinese ROM.

Does anyone know I am doing wrong here?

Thanks.

 

[netmantis]

Are you certain that you have a Samsung phone?

All the roms you find for 'Note 3' online will be for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and would not work on other phones.

The reason I ask this is because there is several companies in China who manufacture phones called 'Note 3' which are not made by Samsung but visually outwardly look almost identical to Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phones but inside are completely different phones and not compatible to any Samsung device.

These other 'Note 3' devices have packaging that is also laid out to look like Samsung packaging as well but without the Samsung name printed on either the phone or packaging.

These other look a like amd similar named phones are commonly found on Ebay as well as large Chinese and Indian online shopping malls.

The price for these other phones are much cheaper in price than the counterpart Samsung phone they are clearly meant to look like or resemble and the components inside these other phones are completely different and different specifications.

These other 'Note 3' phones have different processor, different system boards, and different display which of course are no where even close to the specs of a Samsung Note 3.

I have seen many people get confused by sales offers of these other phones and think they are buying a Samsung Note 3 as the ads usually say 'Note 3' and even have similar model numbers but do not use the name 'Samsung' because they are indeed entirely different phones simply in a look a like similar body.

If you have one of these then of course no Rom you download for a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is going to work on your phone simple because it is an entirely different phone by an entirely different manufacturer and is not the phone you were thinking you had.

So again I ask, 'Are you certain you have a SAMSUNG Galaxy Note 3'?

One side footnote: These Chinese look a like phones are often sold with actual Samsung brand white headphones included as those headphones are available on the market by themselves alone for purchase without the phone and I am sure they do that to further the confusion in those who do not know any better regarding the phone itself.

Real Samsung phones however have Samsung name boldly printed across the phone itself and in the battery compartment as well. If that is missing,
you likely have one of those other Note 3 phones I just spoke about.



Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

 

[Wildwild101]

I was told it was a genuine Samsung Note 3 made for the Chinese market and it took the Chinese stock firmware for the N9005 using ODIN.So it is definitely a Samsung. Also Kies 3 recognized it as well.

My question is why I could not flash it with other stock firmware?

 

[Wildwild101]

Does anyone know if I can flash a custom ROM over the Chinese ROM?

 

[Rukbat]

These other 'Note 3' devices have packaging that is also laid out to look like Samsung packaging as well but without the Samsung name printed on either the phone or packaging.

Many of them do actually have the Samsung logo on the packaging, the phone and a pretty close approximation to a Samsung internal label.

Netmantis, you aren't flashing a ROM 'over' an existing ROM, you're flashing a ROM 'instead of' the existing one. If the hardware will run the custom ROM, it will work regardless of what ROM is currently in it. (I've used the 9005 ROM in my 900A - totally different market, but similar enough hardware to work.)

I wouldn't even attempt it, though, unless I had the stock Chinese ROM to flash in case it didn't work. If the custom (or even stock Samsung for another market) ROM doesn't cause any damage, at least you'll be able to reflash the original Chinese ROM.

Be prepared, after flashing a ROM. Boot into recovery and do a factory reset. Then do a normal boot and be prepared to wait up to 15 minutes for the ROM to rebuild the system before you're at a homescreen.

What you were told, what Kies sees and what's in the phone may all be different. If the hardware in the Chinese version is different enough, the 9005 ROM won't work (and neither will any other Note 3 ROM).