5 Quick Easy Steps to Root Your MT6577/MTK6577-based Android devices

You may have bought a compatible, low-cost Android device from the Internet which was based on the popular  MediaTek 6577 chipset (or MTK6577). According to the release from MediaTek, the “MediaTek MT6577 features a dual 1GHz Cortex™-A9 application processor from ARM, a PowerVR™ Series5 SGX GPU (graphics processing unit) from Imagination Technologies, MediaTek’s proven 3G/HSPA modem, and runs the latest Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” operating system.”

Some examples of these 6-inch screen devices include the HDC Star Galaxy Note, Haipai i9377, Smart THL W3+ and the Star N9776 Smart Note 2 devices. Please note that I do not endorse or support any of the devices; these are just examples of the devices that used the MTK6577 chipset, which is a low-cost solution for the android market. Other MTK6577 devices that may work include Novo 7 Tornado 7, HDC Galaxy S3 i9300, Dapeng i9977 and Star N9970 Note 2.

If you are looking to root the MT6589, which is the quad-core equivalent of the Mediatek SoC solution, please go here. If you have a dual core MT6577 phone, then please continue reading the below.

Due to active community participation from users worldwide (thanks, folks!), I am able to consolidate and share the list of devices that users have reported success in rooting [updated 04 May 13]:

• GSmart GS202+ on 4.0.4 (v17)
• Kata i7 (v17)
• Freelander I10S MTK6577 (v18).
• F9300
• THL W6
• Xtouch x403
• MTK6575 GT-I9300 Samsung Galaxy
• THL W3+
• i-mobile IQ2
• ING100
• Starmobile Crystal
• Chinaphone S5 on 4.0.4 (v18)
• H3000+
• Freelander PD10 Pro
• Star N9776
• Note 2 MTX (v17)
• Advan T3i
• Zopo 300+
• STAR N9588 (on Android 4.1.2)
• BEDOVE X12(on Android 4.0.4).
• GT-i9300 / B92 (v25)
• Zopo ZP900S
• SKK Phoenix
• Note2 clone N7102 MT6577 JB 4.1.1 (See Jeff’s sharing in comments below for this model). He uses Win7 and used this Google USB driver  instead. He recommended setting the phone to storage mode instead of media player mode, and checking device is connected using “adb devices” command line. I suspect this may work for Jellybean devices also. Why not try it and comment here? 🙂
• ThL W1+ (v25)
• i9977 (6.0-inch Smartphone)
•  Alps BP-I9300 (v17)
• Goophone N2 (v17)

• KATA i1

• Cross A27

** Disclaimer: As with all rooting or recovery operations, it is always a good practice to backup your data and information before embarking on such an exercise. For your information, my device was running ICS and not Jelly Bean. ***

Here’s how you can root this device easily using the following tools and software:

1) You need a USB driver for the MT6577 device. Download the USB driver here: MT65xx_USB_Driver. Once you have downloaded the driver, ensure that you install the driver in Windows so that you can see the android device. You should see a device under “My Computer”. You may need to enable “Developer mode“, so just go to the “Settings” –> “Developer Options” –> “USB Debugging” and ensure it is checked/ticked.

If you select the Properties of the Device, you should see something like this:

2) You will need to download the Rooting tool. This rooting tool leverage the adb restore function to the rooting. In my case, I used the Root_with_Restore_by_Bin4ry_v17  file, which worked perfectly for me. I chose the Normal mode during the rooting process. If you wish, you can also try v18 of the same rooting tool, but I have not used it before since I successfully rooted using v17. There is also a v25, which you can try, if the earlier versions did not work.

3) Choose the “Normal Mode”. Just sit back and let the tool do its job. Version v17 screen:

Version v25 screen looks slightly different, so I thought I’d share it here:

4) Follow the instruction to “Restore my data”. The process is non-destructive, so I think your data should be safe. But don’t take my word for it, back up your device before doing any thing! 🙂

5) Once you have rooted your device, you will find a SuperSu application in your android, which enables you to control SuperUser access/root access to the android device.

Edit (Community Suggestion): If your operation was successful, why not share your success information in the comments section below, stating the brand and model of your phone and OS version (e.g. Brandless / Android Note 2 with ‘PadPhone label behind / ICS4.0.4) , so that others can use it to determine whether their devices are compatible or not? Thanks for helping to make this page even more useful to the community!