The Samsung Galaxy S3 was at one time, the king of all Android smartphones. Now, fast forward a few years and the smartphone is still holding some ground. The smartphone also has the honor of becoming a beloved device for developers as well, this is why we see so many great custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3. For latest tips, tricks and hacks check out our dedicated section for Android Tricks. Having used the smartphone myself for a year, I can fully attest that the ROMs for this smartphone are simply magnificent. I would still have the Samsung Galaxy S3 if it wasn’t crushed under a truck. Going back to the forums for Samsung Galaxy S3 ROMs was a trip down memory lane for me, but I instantly remembered some of the ROMs that I absolutely adored during my usage. Thankfully most of the ROMs I tested were still sticking around and some of them were even being supported by the developers. It is always a pleasure to see so many thriving ROMs for a smartphone, it is a rare sight indeed. So, if you still happen to own a Samsung Galaxy S3, this list will introduce you to some of the best ROMs on offer. Now, I will assume that you know how to root your smartphone as well as flash custom ROMs on it, so if you don’t know any of that stuff, make sure you are prepared. Check out the how to root Samsung Galaxy S3 article if you need any guidance .The ROMs in this list are not in any particular order so feel free to check them all out before deciding on the one that suits you. So without further ado, let’s start with the 10 best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3.
1. Omega ROM
Omega ROM is the most used Samsung Galaxy S3 ROM worldwide. It has been downloaded thousands of times, and there is a very good reason behind it. I have personally used it for more than six months, and it ran beautifully on the hardware. There were no glitches or problems faced during my extensive usage. There are several versions of the ROM available on the landing page, but I recommended going with the Jelly Bean 4.3 version because it is highly stable and fleshed out. The ROM is based on the stock Samsung TouchWiz ROM, but there are several great features included. From boot animations to shut down animations and from Kit Kat based wallpapers to superuser access, everything is available in this ROM. One of the best things about this ROM is the installer, the installation is fully customizable and allows you to choose what you want even before the ROM is ready to be used.
2. Unofficial CyanogenMod 11
Any ROM list is incomplete without CyanogenMod simply because it is one of the best ROMs available for Android. The team behind the ROM works around the clock to provide amazing experiences to Android users. While the Samsung Galaxy S3 received a lot of updates officially back in the days, the latest versions of the ROM are sadly not available. Thankfully, there were a lot of people who love porting CM ROM to older smartphones, and this ROM is one of those. It’s an unofficial build that bakes in several different features into the stock CM ROM. It’s fairly close to stock Android but also exhibits some unique features like deep customization.
3. Android Revolution HD
Android Revolution HD is one of the best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3. It is a highly popular ROM that has a lot of fan following. I’ve also use this ROM for around four months back in the days, and it worked perfectly. The ROM was able to squeeze an extra 30 minutes on my device and impressed me with its speed. If I have to recommend one ROM from this list, I will highlight Android Revolution HD as my personal recommendation. Smooth, fast and stable is what this ROM provides. You will feel the smoothness while using the interface yourself. It is an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean based firmware and is almost identical to the stock firmware available on the Samsung Galaxy S3. There are no visual changes, so if you’re a fan of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, this ROM will feel the same. We even have a complete guide on how to install Android Revolution HD on your device.
4. ArchiDroid
ArchiDroid is a ROM that is not based on Samsung’s TouchWiz but CyanogenMod. This is a clean, flexible, optimized and stable ROM for Samsung Galaxy S3. One of the best things about this ROM is that it is built upon the base, so you won’t be losing any feature that you liked in this ROM. As there is no need for tradeoffs, the ROM delivers a robust experience on the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone. It comes with a customizable AROMA installer, uses its flasher, Backend Control and a ton of new exclusive features. If you want to get the fastest ROM for your smartphone, this one is a solid contender.
5. UltimaROM
UltimaROM is one of the most popular ROMs available for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone. However, not many people know that it is based on ArchiPort. That being said, there are a ton of different things this ROM brings to the table. For example, it comes with an easy to use AROMA installer. The ROM also has OTA updates available so you can easily update the ROM without the need of a PC. The ROM aims to bring a good battery life to your aging smartphone, and it does succeed in that regard. Having used the ROM for around 3 weeks myself, I attest that the ROM provides extra battery life. However, back in the days, the ROM was prone to crashes while recording a video for some reason. Still, this is one of the best ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3.
6. WanamLite ROM
If you are in the market for a light ROM that runs fast, WanamLite is the one you should seriously consider. It is based on the latest stock firmware so you can be assured that all the new goodies and features will be present here. The ROM is rooted and comes with Busybox. One great feature of this ROM is the ability to have unlimited SMS recipients list, if you text a lot, you may have been familiar with this problem. Some of the bloatware is removed but is readily available in the form of a patch is you are inclined to use it. Another great feature of this ROM is the support for multiple languages, and even the keyboard comes with multi-language support.
7. NeatROM
Unlike other popular custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3, the NeatROM was released fairly recently. This is a fully deodexed ROM and is also rooted as well as zip-aligned. It comes with SuperSU pre-installed for easy superuser access. One good thing about this ROM is that it has disabled boot sounds on the device, I know this is a minor change, but people who don’t want to wake others will appreciate it. A lot of features from the Galaxy Note 3 are also ported over in this ROM including the browser, calculator, widget active apps as well as video player. The camera app is also modified to remove the annoying battery warnings that hinder the camera usage.
8. FoxHound ROM
FoxHound, apart from having an awesome name, is a capable ROM. It is based on the latest firmware and comes deodexed as well as zip aligned. The ROM features multiple languages, battery tweaks and RAM optimizations. You will also get GPU acceleration, black themed apps as well as performance settings. Overall, FoxHound is a great ROM that will keep your Samsung Galaxy S3 running like a charm. One of the best things about this ROM is that it can be installed without wiping the data off your smartphone. Sure you will still need to wipe the cache and davilk cache, but that is almost inconsequential when compared with data wiping.
9. Resurrection Remix ROM
Resurrection Remix is one of those popular ROMs that are available for a ton of smartphones. There are some compelling reasons for its popularity, though, but one of them is how it combines different ROMs into one package. To say that Resurrection Remix is a child of multiple ROMs won’t be wrong. The ROM mixes CyanogenMod, Slim ROM, Omni Rom and creates a powerful amalgam of features and utility. With this ROM in your Samsung Galaxy S3, you will be able to customize a ton of different stuff. From the status bar to notification counts and from removing carrier label to clock customizations, the ROM will allow you to make the smartphone truly your own.
10. Sotmax Ultimate Stock
If you are a fan of the stock look and feel of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, you will like this ROM. However, before we go ahead, I would like to point out that the ROM is prone to crashes. I installed in on a friend’s device, and he had to change back to Omega thanks to fairly frequent crashes. Maybe it was just his device because the forums have a lot of happy users. That being said, the ROM is a fairly standard affair. You get almost every feature you can find on the stock ROM of Samsung Galaxy S3 but with the added benefit of a pre-rooted ROM. There are a lot of additional features available on the ROM like Xperia Z launcher and keyboard.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has started to show its age but despite being outdated, the smartphone has a lot offer. Combine that hardware with a nice ROM and you practically have a great new smartphone. These were some of the best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3 available on the XDA forums. I really hope that they will help you take the most out of the smartphone. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to me in the comments below and I’ll try to answer them. Feature Image Credits
