Galaxy Note 8 is one of the latest inventions by Samsung. It is true that being one of their premium smartphones, Galaxy Note 8 has been widely appreciated and accepted as an amazing device all over the world. However, it is true that Android lovers often perform experiments with all the smartphones launched by different manufacturers which often make their device useless or bricked. Well, if you have also experienced such an issue on your Galaxy Note 8, I will show you in this post how to unbrick or restore Galaxy Note 8 (N950 all variants) with all the useful information that you need to know.

In case you have transformed your Galaxy Note 8 into a bricked device, it doesn’t always mean that it’s now totally useless for you. With the information I am going to share, there are certain chances that you will restore your device. You can unbrick Galaxy Note 8 simply if you follow everything in a proper manner.

Basically rooting, installing custom ROM, as well as custom recoveries are the common factors that lead to a bricked device. It is because of no other reason than this, one must pay close attention to all the facts while doing them. We are going to attempt to restore Galaxy Note 8 but before that, I want you to keep a few important things in your mind.

We will use a firmware to restore Galaxy Note 8 owned by you back into its actual working potion. This will actually avoid all the bad partitions that could be the reason of bricking. Now I want you to understand first the two methods to unbrick Galaxy Note 8 and they are Soft Brick and Hard Brick.

What exactly Soft-Brick and Hard-Brick is?

Smartphones show two type of behavior when we consider them in bricked mode. In case they don’t boot into recovery mode and show no response to any key combination, it is said to be Hard Brick. Generally, it is considered that you have caused some damage to the hardware while trying to have a Custom ROM, recovery or while rooting. However, the chances of hard brick are certainly less.

We can consider Hard-bricked as a dead device. Of course, it’s a daunting and worrying situation. However, you can visit the nearest repair shop authorized by Samsung. Although you have an option to try USB jig to restore Galaxy Note 8 owned by you, I will be very frank with you at this situation and would like to make it clear that the chances of success are extremely low. Thus you should look for another approach to unbrick Galaxy Note 8 owned by you.

As already mentioned, the chances of hard brick are very less and it only results when the Power-Supply of a device get interrupted while installing an update, Custom ROM or any other software that contributes to the functionality of your device. It is because of no other reason than this, you are always suggested to charge your smartphone sufficiently before installing updates or any other important applications. It can also result when you follow any guide to installing software on your Galaxy Note 8 in a careless manner.

Let us now have a quick look at the Soft Brick. In most of the cases, a brick is a soft one. In this case, the device is not totally dead and faces issues while you try to boot in. There is some software glitch that actually doesn’t let it boot properly. You can always have a working download mode in software brick.

You are now familiar with both the situations. So, let us just move one step further to restore Galaxy Note 8 which you own.

Identifying Bricked Galaxy Note 8

So far we have learned that if the device is able to boot into download mode, we will call it a software brick and in case it doesn’t, it’s probably a hard brick.

Possible causes of Soft-Brick

There are certain factors that can be the reason for this issue. Let us have a clear look at them.

  • Bootloop- Bootloop is the results when something bad has been flashed by you. In this case, users experience frequent restarting of Galaxy Note 8 after being stuck at the logo for a while.
  • Corrupted but in a working condition- This is a situation when you see your device is not able to turn ON in a proper manner but is able to enter download mode/recovery mode after you press the associated key combinations on your device.
  • Other Factors- Keep in mind that if you are able to enter the download mode, it really doesn’t matter what has happened to your device, there is a possible solution. Thus, you can stay calm.

What can be done against the problem?

To restore Galaxy Note 8, simply proceed by installing the firmware following all the instructions and keeping in mind what is mentioned below. There are certain chances that your Galaxy Note 8 will be in working condition once again.

Possible causes of Hard-Brick

In case you are not able to enter the Download mode, the phone is in hard-brick conditions and it is not possible to repair it yourself. The reason for this is already mentioned and i.e. interruption in power supply while installation of any software or update is going on.

One of the solutions that you can try to restore Galaxy Note 8 owned by you is to try USB jig for entering into the download mode. However, I have already made it clear that the probability of succeeding in very less. Thus JTAG is the only option left. You need to find a service provider around you who can help you in this matter and can bring your Galaxy Note 8 back into working mode. Although anyone can buy JTAG from Google and can begin troubleshooting. I don’t suggest you to go for it unless you have core knowledge of electronic devices and components.

So I am not going to unveil what exactly can be done to unbrick Galaxy Note 8 you own. Check it out below.

Perquisites

  • Charge your phone: Before you proceed with the below information, you are recommended to ensure that your Galaxy Note 8 is at least 50% charged.
  • Take Device Backup: 1. Take Device Backup without Root | 2. Backup IMEI and NVRAM | 3. Create Nandroid Backup using TWRP Recovery (Skip if TWRP is not supported)
  • Install Latest Driver: Install the Latest Samsung USB Drivers and ODIN Tools on your PC.
  • Download: Download the below given required files on your PC.

Download Required Files:

The links for Odin zip file and Firmware file are given below. Simply download them and transfer another location on your PC and remember the same.

Warning & Disclaimer

I would like to make it very clear that your Galaxy Note 8 will no longer remain in its warranty period post following the guide mentioned in this post. We at Getdroidtips.com cannot be held responsible if anything goes wrong.

For Odin Zip file click below link

Download Latest ODIN Downloader

For Firmware Zip file click below link

  • Sprint Galaxy Note 8: Click Here
  • T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8: Click Here
  • AT&T Galaxy Note 8: Click Here
  • Verizon Galaxy Note 8: Click Here
  • International Galaxy Note 8: Click Here
  • and Other models: Click Here

In case you don’t know how to use Odin and install a stock firmware. Check out the below video.

I would again like to remind you to remove the SD card to save the data stored on it in case you haven’t. There might be a need for factory reset and thus doing this is recommended.

Steps to Unbrick or Restore Galaxy Note 8:

  • Now simply extract the Odin Zip file on your PC.
  • Similarly, extract the Firmware Zip file on it.
  • Move the Firmware file at same location where you extracted Odin
  • Next is to make a double click on Odin which is an odin.exe file to open it.
  • After this, boot your device into download mode. For this, turn OFF the device and wait for 10 seconds. Press and hold Home, Power, and Volume Down buttons together until you see a warning message on the screen
  • You can now press Volume UP button to enter into the download mode.
  • After this, connect your device to PC. At the bottom left side, you will see an “Added” message on the Odin window.
  • In case “Added” message didn’t appear, you can follow some basic tips and they are:
  • ——–> Ensure the drivers have been installed properly
  • ——–> Use a different USB cable/port
  • ——–> Uninstall the driver and re-install them again
  • ——–> Reboot your device and PC too and try once again.
  • Now simply load the firmware file into Odin. For this click on AP button that you will see on Odin. Select the file that ends with “.md5”
  • Next is to make sure that in “Option” section of the Odin, the box for re-partition is unchecked. Also, pay close attention to other boxes and uncheck all other boxes accept Auto Reboot.
  • Ensure all the above steps have been properly followed and especially the above two.
  • You can now click on the “start” button. This will start flashing stock firmware on your Galaxy Note 8. Wait until “Pass” message appears in Odin’s box at the top left.
  • Upon getting the same, you will see your device will automatically restart post which you can disconnect it from the PC.
  • That’s all that you need to do to restore Galaxy Note 8 you own.

In case “Fail” message appears instead of “Pass”, or you stuck somewhere, disconnect your device from PC, close Odin and remove the battery of your Galaxy Note 8. Put it back again and repeat the procedure. This will help you to keep up the pace simply.

——–> Ensure the drivers have been installed properly

——–> Use a different USB cable/port

——–> Uninstall the driver and re-install them again

——–> Reboot your device and PC too and try once again.

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Good Luck!