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Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 (samsung-heatqlte)

From postmarketOS Wiki
Note This page is about the dedicated port of this device. There is also an optional generic port available for this device - see Generic MSM8909 (qcom-msm8909).
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4
A photo of SM-G357FZ running postmarketOS
A photo of SM-G357FZ running postmarketOS
Manufacturer Samsung
Name Galaxy Ace 4
Codename samsung-heatqlte
Released 2014
Type handset
Hardware
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916)
CPU Quad-core 1.2Ghz Cortex A53
GPU Adreno 306
Display 480x800 AMOLED
Storage 8GB
Memory 1GB
Architecture armv7
Software
Original software
The software and version the device was shipped with.
Android 4.4.4
Extended version
The most recent supported version from the manufacturer.
Android
postmarketOS
Category testing
Mainline
Instead of a Linux kernel fork, it is possible to run (Close to) Mainline.
yes
Optional Generic Port Generic MSM8909 (qcom-msm8909)
Device package device-samsung-heatqlte
Kernel package linux-postmarketos-qcom-msm8916
Features
Flashing
Whether it is possible to flash the device with pmbootstrap flasher.
Works
USB Networking
After connecting the device with USB to your PC, you can connect to it via telnet (initramfs) or SSH (booted system).
Works
Battery
Whether charging and battery level reporting work.
Partial
Screen
Whether the display works; ideally with sleep mode and brightness control.
Partial
Touchscreen
Broken
Multimedia
3D Acceleration
Untested
Audio
Audio playback, microphone, headset and buttons.
Works
Camera
Broken
Connectivity
WiFi
Works
Bluetooth
Works
GPS
Works
NFC
Near Field Communication
Works
Modem
Calls
Works
SMS
Works
Mobile data
Works
Miscellaneous
FDE
Full disk encryption and unlocking with unl0kr.
Untested
USB OTG
USB On-The-Go or USB-C Role switching.
Untested
Sensors
Accelerometer
Handles automatic screen rotation in many interfaces.
Works
Magnetometer
Sensor to measure the Earth's magnetism
Untested
Ambient Light
Measures the light level; used for automatic screen dimming in many interfaces.
Untested
Proximity
Untested
Hall Effect
Measures magnetic fields; usually used as a flip cover sensor
Untested
Barometer
Sensor to measure air pressure
Untested
Power Sensor
Sensor to monitor current, voltage and power. Not fuel gauge!
Untested


Contributors

  • garethppls

Users owning this device


How to enter flash mode

Flash mode is entered by holding the power and the volume down key together when the device is off.

Installation

Note Note: Even though MSM8916 is capable of aarch64, the firmware of this device was never updated with aarch64 support. Therefore, this device can only boot mainline on armv7 at the moment.


lk2nd is a secondary bootloader that provides a standard fastboot interface, which can be used to boot postmarketOS without Android boot flashed or pmbootstrap flasher flash_kernel.

  1. The prebuilt image doesn't have the device included at the moment. Build lk2nd first.
  2. Boot your phone to bootloader (Odin/Download) mode by holding Volume Down and Home while powering up.
  3. Follow lk2nd instructions from step 2 to install lk2nd. Basically flash it to the boot partition (heimdall flash --BOOT build-lk2nd-msm8916/lk2nd.img)
  4. Follow Qualcomm_Snapdragon_410/412_(MSM8916)#Installation to install postmarketOS.
Note Note: Enter lk2nd fastboot mode by pressing only Volume Down + Power (without Home). Pressing Home additionally will bring you to the Samsung Download mode.

Display

Screen works partially on this device. While displaying the UI works fine, adjusting the brightness doesn't work. Needs a driver.

Brightness

Currently unsupported.

Warning WARNING: Beware "burn in" when using an (AM)OLED display on high brightness! Permanent discoloration can occur after consistent long use. Especially on some low quality OLEDs.

Flash LED

Currently WIP. It can be controlled with SG Micro SGM3140 charge pump LED driver[1].

Note Note: Driver seems to be abandoned as of 2025. Needs to be completed.

Accelerometer

lis2hh12 accelerometer is not so stable for auto screen rotation, which suggests you to use fixed portrait or landscape mode.

See also

Link to related GitLab issues or merge requests like the following:

References