Galaxy S3 I9300 Receives Nexus-Styled Android 4.3 via SuperNexus 3.0 ROM [How to Install]

Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 users can now enjoy pure Vanilla Android experience with Nexus-styled interface, thanks to the newly released SuperNexus 3.0 ROM which is built from Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) release.

The SuperNexus ROM offers bloatware-free experience (no third-party apps) with a host of feature enhancements and optimisations hand-picked from CyanogenMod sources in a lightweight package. It also brings several SoC related patches with due credit to TeamHacksung's Device Tree and CyanogenMod Team's source code.

Android 4.3 SuperNexus 3.0 ROM Features

• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (JSS15J - Android-4.3_r2.1)
• Latest CM kernel
• All Jelly Bean features and Apps (Nothing excluded from AOSP)
• No visual changes
• Stock Jelly Bean look and feel
• Brings Nexus-styled interface and features for Galaxy S3

Head over to the official developer source page to learn more about the features and bug-fixes ported into the latest version of SuperNexus ROM.

NOTE: Instructions provided in this guide are meant for reference purpose only. IBTimes UK will not be held liable for any device damage during or after ROM installation. Users are advised to proceed at their own risk.

Pre-Requisites

• The SuperNexus 3.0 ROM and instructions provided are limited for the international variant of Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 only. Verify device model number by navigating to Settings > About Phone.
• Back up data and settings via a recommended custom recovery tool like ClockworkMod (CWM) or TWRP, as it creates a complete image of the existing phone setup.
• Verify correct USB drivers for the phone are installed on the computer (download Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 USB drivers).
• Ensure USB debugging mode is enabled on the phone, by navigating to Settings > Developer Options (if device runs Android 4.0 or later) or Settings > Applications > Development (if device runs Android 2.3 or earlier). If device runs Android 4.2, perform the following steps:
• Go to Settings > About Phone
• Scroll to bottom of screen and select Build Number
• Tap the phone's Build Number seven times to unlock or reveal the hidden Developer Options under Settings. Then select the checkbox to enable USB debugging mode under Settings > Developer Options.
• The phone should have at least 80% battery charge to prevent unexpected device shutdown (due to battery drain) while installing the ROM.
• Ensure device is unlocked (not locked to a specific carrier) and rooted via CWM Recovery.
• If device is stuck at booting or experiencing boot loop issues, perform Wipe Cache Partition and Wipe Dalvik Cache a few more times before rebooting.
• Allow newly installed ROM to stabilise for five minutes before you start working on it.

Downloads

• SuperNexus 3.0 ROM Build 1 for Galaxy S3 I9300
• Google Apps JB 20130813

How to Update Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean via SuperNexus 3.0 ROM

1. Connect and mount the phone's USB mass storage on computer via USB cable

2. Without extracting, copy the downloaded ROM and Google Apps zip files to the root folder on phone's SD card

3. Power off the phone and disconnect its USB cable from computer

4. Press and hold Volume Up, Power and Home buttons together to boot the device into CWM recovery. Note: Use Volume keys to navigate between options and Power key to select an option in recovery.

5. Perform a Nandroid backup of the current ROM so that it can be restored later if the new ROM fails to work or you want to return to original ROM. To do a backup, choose Backup and Restore, and then click Backup on the next screen. Go back to main recovery menu once backup is complete.

6. Perform a full data wipe task as follows: choose Wipe Data/Factory Reset then click Yes on next screen to confirm. Wait for a few minutes until the data wipe process completes.

7. Click Install zip from SD card and then select Choose zip from SD card. Now, browse to the ParanoidAndroid 3.97 ROM zip file that you copied earlier to your phone in Step 2 and select it by tapping Power button. Confirm the ROM installation by choosing Yes on next screen and the installation will begin.

8. After the ROM is installed, repeat step 7. But choose the Gapps zip file instead of ROM zip to install Google Apps.

9. Once Google Apps is also installed, return to the main recovery menu and click Wipe Cache Partition. Wait until the process is complete. Finally, choose Wipe Dalvik Cache under advance option. NOTE: This will prevent intermittent boot loop issues and other ROM related errors.

10. Now, hit reboot system now to boot-up the phone into the newly installed ROM. The first boot may take some time. So, please be patient.

11. Returning to Previous ROM: To restore your previous ROM, boot into recovery, choose Backup and Restore and restore your original ROM by selecting it from the list.

Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 is now successfully updated to Android 4.3 based SuperNexus 3.0 ROM. Go to Settings > About Phone to verify the firmware version installed.

ALSO READ: Update Galaxy S3 I9300 to Android 4.3 via ParanoidAndroid 3.97 ROM [TUTORIAL]