5.1.1 note 4 update put my phone back to branded

hi people

long time no speak need some help..

when i brought my note 4 (back on 4.4.4) it was a branded 3 phone and after the second day of owning it i flashed it to a official samsung 4.4.4 to get rid of the "3" branding.. anyway after the lolipop update came out my phone never asked me to update and always stated it was on the newest firmware (even up to today)

so i installed the 5.1.1 lolipop update via odin and the "3" branded stuff came back.. does anyone know where i can download a official UK unbranded 5.1.1 don't like all the branded bits

thanks in advance (im pretty sure i downloaded the unbranded firmware)

anyways any help will be appreciated

Are expensive branded cases really better than generic ones?

I'm currently waiting for my Moto X (2nd gen...) to arrive and searching for a case & screen protector.

I live in Israel and so prices are higher than in the US if I include shipping and so on. For example the Supcase bumper case which I assume will be best for me costs about 33$.
I've also checked Chinese sites like Ali Express and I can find all kind of cases for 1$-5$ and shipping is free. I'm wondering if there's any significant difference between those higher-priced branded cases to and generic ones in terms of protection. My current Moto G has a Trident Aegis case which is great but also pretty expensive - I'm wondering if I should again invest in a such a case (though not so bulky as this one) or I can go with one for 4$-5$ and get pretty good protection.

I WON'T compromise on protection but if I can get it for less money it's of course better.