Guide to install stock firmware on Galaxy Note 10 Plus

This is the step-by-step guide to install stock firmware on Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus. The guide discusses both the Odin and Smart Switch methods.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are two incredible devices. In fact, if you go after the best Android smartphones right now, you should find these two at the top of the list. The Note phones originally started off as phablets, but the culture of bigger phones transformed note into a smartphone too. The iconic S-Pen is what helps Note series standout. 

Its been a couple of weeks since Samsung released the new Note handsets. The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus is all set to make it to the users starting today. Fortunately, the stock firmware files of both the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are also up now.

Soon after getting your hands on the new Note 10, you may want to unleash the full potential of the device. There will be many situations when you will have to restore your handset to its factory settings or you may simply have to flash new stock firmware to restore the phone to a working state.

Samsung changes something with every new phone, which is why new methods have to be crafted to sideload firmware. Same goes for the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus. Although nothing much has changed here, you still need a proper guide to install stock firmware on Galaxy Note 10.

This is exactly why I’m putting this guide together today. I’m going to show you the complete steps to install stock firmware on Galaxy Note 10 Plus and Galaxy Note 10. Before I begin with the guide, let me help you get familiar with other terms that people use for stock firmware.

Stock firmware is also referred to as a stock ROM. Some people call it Factory Firmware and many users call it the stock software of the device. The terms stock ROM, stock firmware, factory firmware, stock software all mean the same. There is no need to get confused with anything there.

Allow me to tell you all the situations that the stock firmware will help you with on your Galaxy Note 10/Plus.

The need for Galaxy Note 10 stock firmware

• Install stock ROM on Galaxy Note 10 will factory reset it.
• It can also fix performance and battery drain issues sometimes.
• The stock software on Note 10 will unroot the device from a rooted state.
• A bricked Galaxy Note 10 can be fixed by flashing the stock firmware.
• If you want to update your phone manually to a higher version of Android, you can use this manual method. You would need the latest firmware file for this purpose.
• In case your region is slow on getting newer Android versions, you can manually flash it with the help of the guide below.
• If you are planning of hard-resetting your Note 10, you may find this guide useful.

Methods to install stock firmware on Galaxy Note 10

There are two different methods to achieve the goal of flashing stock software. 

The first method is the use of Odin, which is the Samsung Flashtool. This method is much better than the Samsung Kies method as it gives you the edge to perform all the operations listed above. The Odin method is a bit more complex and it is for advanced users. With the guideline given below, you can ignore the advanced part and follow the instructions properly to master this method.

The 2nd method is through Samsung Smart Switch. The Smart Switch is sort of a Samsung PC Suite for Windows and Mac. This method will help you to restore your phone from an emergency state or it will find OTA updates inside your region.

Let’s take a look at the first method. You need to make a few preparations for that.

Preparations

1. This guide is only for Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus.
2. Charge the phone up to 50% prior to flashing the firmware.
3. Backup each and everything on your phone.
4. Enable OEM Unlocking on the Galaxy Note 10.
5. Also, enable the USB Debugging mode on your Note 10.
6. Use the original data cable to connect your phone to the computer.
7. Disable Windows Firewall or any Antivirus while you use Odin.
8. Make sure the Smart Switch is not open when you are on the Odin screen.
9. Follow the remaining instructions carefully.

Downloads

1. Install Samsung Android USB Drivers – Download
2. Extract Odin 3.13.1 to get Odin3.exe – Download
3. Download Firmware for Note 10 or Note 10 Plus
   1. On the firmware page, enter the model number of your phone i.e. N970F/DS, N970U1, N97N or N975F/DS, N975U1, or whatever is the model number of your device.
   2. Download the latest firmware file for your region or any specific firmware you want.
   3. Extract the firmware to get the BL, AP, CP, CSC, and Home_CSC files.

Guide on how to install stock firmware on Galaxy Note 10

It’s time to take a look at the 2nd method i.e. the Smart Switch method. As mentioned earlier, this method is for updating the phone or for recovering the phone from an emergency state. For the most part, it’s a self-explanatory method, but let me give you an idea in a few steps.

Update Galaxy Note 10 or Note 10 Plus via Smart Switch

1. Install Smart Switch on your Windows or Mac computer: Download.
2. Open Smart Switch on the computer.
3. Connect Note 10 to the computer.
4. If the phone shows any permission, allow it.
5. Smart Switch will detect the phone and find latest software update.
6. If there is an update available, click on update.
7. The update process will show you a disclaimer, read it carefully, create all the backups and start it.
8. The update will take its time. Grab a popcorn and watch it happen. That’s all.

Galaxy Note 10 Emergency Software Recovery via Smart Switch

1. Open Smart Switch on the computer.
2. Connect Note 10/10+ to the PC.
3. Click on the Settings Gear icon in Smart Switch > Emergency Software Recovery.
4. The tool will now detect if any previous update was failed and show you the recovery logs.
5. You can also enter the recovery code to begin the recovery process. That’s all.

That’s pretty much it with the new firmware installation on the Galaxy Note 10 or Note 10+. I hope this guide helped many of you. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to drop a word in the comments section below.