The Samsung Galaxy A3 is the bottom of the range of the A-Series from Sammy during 2014, but just because it’s the cheaper variant doesn’t mean there aren’t numerous third-party developers creating awesome custom ROMS and other compatible tweaks. You can also check out root-requiring applications from the Google Play store and other sources which enable you to take away the annoying bloatware from Samsung. Furthermore, you can tweak the OS by overclocking and equip yourself with other useful apps to brighten your day.

Making all of the above happen for your A3 smartphone is easy. Just follow the guide after the jump:

REQUIREMENTS 

1. You can only follow the directions below if you have the A300H variant of the Samsung Galaxy A3 smartphone. Check the model number of yours by stopping over at the Settings > About Device and taking a gander.

2. Just like the specific device number,m you also need to be running the specific firmware. The latest software update rolling out for the A300H variant of the A3 is XXU1AOA4 Android 4.4.4. You can also check your device runs the same by taking a look under the About Device section from the Settings.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN 

1. Make sure you have enough battery power left on your smartphone before starting the flashing so that it doesn’t turn off before the guide is finished. You could soft brick the phone if it doesn’t make it all the way. We recommend starting the guide with at least 60% battery power. Check that by turning on the phone and looking at the battery icon from the Status bar.

2. Understand that following on from here does void the A3 warranty. You can get the warranty working again which allows you to send the device away for free repairs by unrooting it. Do that by installing third-party dedicated applications from the Google play store.

3. You must have a Windows PC for the guide because Odin is an official tool by the Samsung developers which only works with the Windows operating system.

HOW TO ROOT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY A3 RUNNING ANDROID 4.4.4 KITKAT XXU1AOA4 FIRMWARE 

1. Download the CF Auto Root package from here.

2. Download the Odin 3.09 from here.

3. Use the desktop of the computer for both downloads.

4. Extract both folder and run the Odin app on the computer.

5. Reboot the A3 in Download Mode.

6. Press the Volume Down, Home and Power buttons simultaneously to do that.

7. Now press the Home button one more time at the new warning screen.

8. Once in download mode, connect the phone to the computer with the dedicated USB cable.

9. Click the AP button and upload the tar.md5 file extension from the rooting file you extracted.

10. Click the start button without adjusting any of the other settings.

11. The tool will now continue to flash the device with root access.

12. Wait until you see the device reboot. The Odin application does that automatically since we had the Auto reboot checkbox ticked.

Nice one! You are now running with root access on your Samsung Galaxy A3. It’s time to check out those root apps and custom ROMs and have some fun.