The Samsung Galaxy A5 is part of the A-series smartphone which comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box. It weighs 123 grams and comes with one of the best looking press shots we’ve seen out of any Sammy devices. If you want a phone with a large display, fast mobile data support, small dimensions and a trusty Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC, this is the device for you.

Assuming you know that already, own the handset and have checked out everything that stock Android 4.4.4 KitKat has to offer, you might be interested in installing a custom ROM. Since it’s a Sammy device, third-party developers love to create ROMs and firmware which can help you boost the operating system to the new Lollipop.

REQUIREMENTS

You need the Samsung Galaxy A5 SM-A500F smartphone. There are several different model numbers under the A5 name. The following steps are only to be applied on the number ending with “F.” You can check the model number by navigating to Settings > About Phone.
The handset comes pre-loaded with Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box. You should only use this guide if you are running that software version. You can check up what version is running on your device by following the same steps as before:

BEFORE WE BEGIN

1. Make sure you have the latest USB drivers from the official Samsung website under the ‘downloads’ section.
2. Have the USB Debugging mode enabled from the Developer Options menu.
3. Don’t start unless you have 50% battery power saved.
4. Turn off the security apps and programs.
5. You must have a Windows PC for completing the guide.

HOW TO ROOT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY A5 SM-A500F

1. Download the SM-A500F rooting file from this link.
2. Download the Odin 3.09 from this link.
3. Use the desktop for extracting both the files.
4. Double-click the Odin program and have it running on the desktop.
5. Boot the A5 in Download Mode.
6. Connect the A5 to the computer with the USB cable.
7. Click the AP button inside Odin and upload the tar.md5 file.
8. Click the start button for the flashing.

The device will reboot automatically after the flashing finishes. The first booting process can take minutes longer than a usual boot because of the internal changes. It will boot as it normally does for the rest of the times after though, so don’t worry.