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đź‘‹ Introduction

If you’re here, you’re probably looking to flash a firmware for your phone! No need to worry if you have no experience flashing firmware, it isn’t too complicated. With experience in this process, I will try my best to explain how to do this in the most simple way possible. If you’ve never done this before, I recommend reviewing this guide multiple times to get a better grasp of what to do and reduce your chances of user error. I am not responsible for any potential damage to your device (in the worst case, your device gets soft bricked, which is fixable via this process anyway!)

Why flash a different firmware?​

There are plenty of reasons why you should consider flashing a different firmware. Some reasons are, but not limited to:

  • Issues with your current version (battery drain, overheating, etc.) that a factory reset may not always resolve.

  • Getting rid of carrier bloatware and apps (This applies mostly to US models, which usually come preinstalled with carrier apps and bloatware that usually can’t be completely disabled or uninstalled. However, I can’t speak for regions with Exynos and other Snapdragon models regarding bloatware.

  • Untimely software updates (Some regions and countries are more susceptible to this, as security patches may be late or delayed by weeks or even months. Have you seen others with the same phone as you getting updates before you? This is the reason why. There is a lot of variability in how updates are rolled out and Samsung’s update schedule isn’t always consistent.)

  • A different region received a major update quicker.

What are my options?​

If you are in the United States, flashing the US unlocked firmware is your best bet. Free of any carrier bloatware and branding, this one brings the most “stock” Samsung experience for your device and is virtually compatible with any carrier. An exception I have seen is where AT&T may not fully support features such as VoLTE and WiFi calling on unlocked firmware or phones for whatever reason. To further emphasize AT&T’s questionable business practices, they also do not release their firmware which makes getting their branded firmware and devices the only way to get full access to their features. A potential (but not super concerning) con to US unlocked firmware is that software updates may be a little late compared to the carrier counterparts, but usually only by a few days or a week at worst. As of writing this report, unlocked models have beaten most carriers to the One UI 3.0 (Android 11) update. However, you don’t have to flash unlocked firmware, but I highly recommend doing so as it brings the cleanest software. You can also flash another carrier’s firmware. For example, if you have a T-Mobile phone but your carrier is Verizon, you may want Verizon firmware instead to get a better experience on their network. So in short, your options are US unlocked firmware or your provider’s firmware.

If you are in another region (e.g., Europe, Africa, Latin America) it gets a little more complicated. These regions and countries typically have Samsung’s own Exynos chip, which gives you a lot more flexibility in choosing a firmware. I will narrow it down later in explaining CSCs.