Samsung is currently having a great year and it is no doubt in part due to their lineup of Android phones and tablets. They are the premier phone maker with the Galaxy S3 and the newly released Galaxy Note II phablet. They are still catching up in the tablet market and the Galaxy Note 10.1 is currently their best tablet on the market. I personally own the Note 10.1 and overall really like the tablet and love the S Pen which lets me take great notes. The TouchWiz (TW) user interface (UI) has also come a along way with the ability to have multiscreen view along with voice commands, camera app, and much more.
But still I would say that TW is much better suited for a phone and it’s too slow and lagging on the tablet. This is where Android and customization allows you to make your tablet better. This can be done by installing a custom ROM that makes the software faster, removes bloat, and brings overall efficiency. In this post I have compiled all the major ROMs for the Galaxy Note 10.1 along with a brief description. Remember that installing a ROM required rooting your tablet which may void your warranty and no one is responsible except you. Links for rooting and installing a custom recovery can be followed below.
Rooting Instructions: Root Galaxy Note 10.1
Custom Recovery: TWRP or ClockworkMod Recovery Touch (either will work but I prefer TWRP)
One thing to note is that there are different version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 based on US, international, WiFi only, and 3G/4G mobile. Not all ROMs work on every model so be sure to check your specific model number in setting > About device before installing. If a ROM is specific for a model, it will be indicated in brackets. I also recommend to always make a full nandroid backup of your current system before installing any new ROM. Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions for a ROM to be added.
Official OTA stock Jelly Bean [N8000]
This is the a fully stock Samsung software for the latest update to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. Eventually everyone will get this through an OTA update but if you are impatient then this will upgrade it manually. This is for the international version of the tablet only so please check your model number. There are many new features in this software including expanded multiscreen apps, S Pen hover preview, S Note enhancements and more.
Source: [XDA]
CyanogenMod 10 Nightlies [N8000][N8013]
CyanogenMod is based on Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and is the most popular custom ROM for Android. This is the best way to experience Android in its purest form if you don’t have a Google Nexus device. This is a nightly version which means it based on code compilation after one night. It has many bugs and is probably not going to be stable to be used daily. I would recommend to use this only to test out the software so be sure to make a full nandroid backup before installing.
Source: CyanogenMod – N8000, N8013
RR JB V3.1.1 AOKP M1 4.1.2 (N8000/8010/8013)
This is an Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean ROM based on AOKP. This ROM will completely replace TW and make the tablet look very close to Google’s own Nexus 10 and Nexus 7. This does mean that you will lose some of the Samsung TW benefits like the multiscreen view and S Note app but the S Pen will still work in non-Samsung apps. Overall this will be a really clean and fast ROM that will greatly enhance the tablet experience.
Source: [XDA]
Infamous Gnote v1.0 [N8013]
This is a stock ROM that is meant to be more stable and fast. Some features include bloatware removed, advanced power menu, AOSP keyboard, CPU sleeper, supercharger script, battery mod, and more. If you are looking to keep your stock look but with something that is faster than you might want to try this ROM.
Source: [XDA]
Team Union Rom 4.1.1 XXBLJ9 DBT v3 [N8000]
This is an Android 4.1.1 stock Jelly Bean ROM with many modifications and features. The ROM uses Aroma installer which gives you full option during installation to pick and choose the mods and app that you want. If you don’t want to take the time then there is pre-set versions that you can choose. Check the source link for full descriptions of all the features and mods.
Source: [XDA]
JellyICS RoM Build(1) [N8000/N8013]
This is an ICS based ROM that has been themed with fonts, bootanimation, sounds, and more to look and behave like Jelly Bean. Many of the Samsung apps and bloatware have also been removed. Apps that require S Pen have been kept.
Source: [XDA]
JellyNote – 1.0 Beta [N8000]
This is a basic stock Jelly Bean ROM but with many of the bloatware apps removed. The home TW launcher has also been replaced with Go Launcher and does include some theming.
Source: [XDA]
Stock UEALI3 [N8013]
This is a simple stock ROM for the WiFi only model of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. It has only speed modifications through the Build.prop tweaks. Future additions and modifications to come.
Source: [XDA]
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