With the holidays not yet over, I bet that you're overwhelmed with gift ideas right now. Maybe you're on the verge of going to the mall to finish up your shopping. I say give yourself, and your phone, a break. We have a new lovely treat for your Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300. It's another sweet Jelly Bean custom ROM called the Sotmax ROM.

This ROM is perfect for people who prefer the stock look but want to get a boost in performance. Based on Android 4.1.2 build XXELKC, it's pre-rooted, zipaligned, and loaded with several add-on features for your enjoyment. It has both the Yank kernel and the stock kernel, as well as data app functionality to let users remove apps that they don't like and keep the system clean, build prop tweaks, a native script to ensure more RAM without killing apps, and a lot more.

This guide shows you how to flash Sotmax ROM for the Galaxy S3 I9300.

Warning

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the Samsung Galaxy S3, model number GT-I9300. Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
• The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only. There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
• Use these instructions at your own risk. We shall not hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
• Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.

Requirements

• A rooted Samsung Galaxy S3 model number GT-I9300 with ClockworkMod Recovery installed.
  • You can check out our guide on how to root and install ClockworkMod Recovery on the Galaxy S3.
• Download the Sotmax ROM (sotmax_Ultimate_stock_V11_XXELL4_Aroma.zip, md5sum: 697fe748f12a0ad14c22b497f8f7f362) to your computer.
  • Direct Link
  • Mirror Link
• Make sure your device's battery still has at least 70% power. You don't want the device to shut down in the middle of the procedure.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
  • For backup tips, check our guides on how to sync your data to the cloud and how to create local backups of your mobile data.

Instructions

1. Copy the Sotmax ROM to your phone's internal SD card.
2. Turn off your phone.
3. Put it in Recovery Mode by holding down the Volume Up, Home, and Power buttons together until recovery boots.
   • While in Recovery mode, use the Volume Buttons to navigate and the Power button to select options.
4. Make a NANDroid Backup by selecting Backup and Restore > Backup.
5. Do a full data wipe:
   1. Select Advanced > Wipe Dalvik cache and confirm by selecting Yes.
   2. Select Wipe Cache Partition and confirm by selecting Yes.
   3. Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and confirm by selecting Yes.
6. Select Install ZIP from SD card > Choose ZIP from SD card and select the Sotmax ROM file.
7. Go back to the main menu and select Reboot system now.

Great! You've just flashed the Sotmax ROM to the Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300. Let us know what you think of the ROM in a comment below. Enjoy!