Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Value Edition (samsung-serranove)
Also known as the S4 Mini Plus, this phone was available in Europe and has a similar housing to the earlier S4 Mini. The display and back enclosure for 2013 versions are incompatible. It also recieved no firmware updates since release, and a curse to run ARMv7 only. This is peak Samsung. Be aware of that.
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 S4 Mini Value Edition | |
Manufacturer | Samsung |
---|---|
Name | Galaxy S4 Mini Value Edition |
Codename | samsung-serranove |
Model | GT-I9192I, GT-I9195I |
Released | 2015 |
Type | handset |
Hardware | |
Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) |
CPU | 4x 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 |
GPU | 400 MHz Adreno 306 |
Display | 4.3 inch 16:9, 540x960 AMOLED |
Storage | 8 GB EMMC 4.5 |
Memory | 1.5 GB 533 MHz LPDDR3 single-channel |
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 4.4.4 |
Optional software | Android (LineageOS) (Unofficial) |
FOSS bootloader | yes |
postmarketOS | |
Category | community |
Pre-built images Whether pre-built images are available here. |
no |
Mainline Instead of a Linux kernel fork, it is possible to run (Close to) Mainline. |
yes |
pmOS kernel The kernel version that runs on the device's port. |
Mainline |
Unixbench score Unixbench Whetstone/Dhrystone score. See Unixbench. |
886.7 |
Optional Generic Port | Generic MSM8909 (qcom-msm8909) |
Device package |
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Kernel package |
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Firmware package |
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Flashing 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
|
Internal storage eMMC, SD cards, UFS, ... |
Works
|
SD card Also includes other external storage cards |
Works
|
Battery Charging and battery level reporting works |
Works
|
Screen Display works. Ideally with sleep mode and brightness control. |
Works
|
Touchscreen |
Works
|
Multimedia | |
3D Acceleration |
Partial
|
Audio Audio playback, microphone, headset and buttons. |
Works
|
Camera |
Broken
|
Camera Flash |
Broken
|
IR TX |
Broken
|
Connectivity | |
WiFi |
Works
|
Bluetooth |
Works
|
GPS |
Works
|
NFC Near Field Communication |
Untested
|
Modem | |
Calls |
Works
|
SMS |
Works
|
Mobile data |
Partial
|
Miscellaneous | |
FDE Full disk encryption and unlocking with unl0kr. |
Works
|
USB OTG USB On-The-Go or USB-C Role switching |
Works
|
Sensors | |
Accelerometer Auto screen rotation works in desktops e.g. Phosh or Plasma Mobile |
Works
|
Magnetometer Sensor to measure magnetism |
Works
|
Ambient Light |
Broken
|
Proximity |
Broken
|
Hall Effect Also known as flip cover sensor |
Works
|
Haptics |
Works
|
This device is based on the Snapdragon 410. See the SoC page for common tips, guides and troubleshooting steps |
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. |
Contributors
Users owning this device
- Bastindo (Notes: White GT-i9195I, works, good condition)
- Jakko
- Kreyren (Notes: Mint condition including the original box and flip case, projected to be used as a part of every day carry emergency kit and subject to NixOS contribution)
- Madhaxbro (Notes: GT-I9195I, runs lk2nd + TouchWiz Android. Ready for testing. Weak battery. Limited UI choice for now, occasional mobile data issue. Classic design. Well supported.)
- Minecrell (Notes: GT-I9195I)
- TryzenAlpensky (Notes: GT-I9195)
Model variants
- GT-I9192I (3G, Dual SIM)
- GT-I9195I (4G, NFC)
Boot modes
Fastboot (lk2nd) - hold
during bootRecovery (lk2nd) - hold
during bootDFU (Odin) mode - hold
+ +Recovery (Samsung bootloader) - hold
+ +Installation
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
.
- Download lk2nd-msm8916.img from Releases page on Github.
- Boot your phone to bootloader (Odin/Download) mode by holding and while powering up.
- Follow lk2nd instructions to install lk2nd. Basically flash it to the boot partition (
heimdall flash --BOOT lk2nd-msm8916.img
) - Follow Qualcomm_Snapdragon_410/412_(MSM8916)#Installation to install postmarketOS.
Note: Enter lk2nd fastboot mode by pressing only | + (without ). Pressing additionally will bring you to the Samsung Download mode.
Audio
Only PulseAudio is working, Pipewire lists no devices. Automatic device switching is unreliable.
WARNING: The speakers are rather loud on 100% volume and may produce distorted sound that may damage your speakers after long use. Please make sure to use reasonable volumes - your ears and your speaker will thank you! |
Touch keys
For configuration of the touch keys, see Tm2-touchkey.
Flash LED
Currently WIP. It can be controlled with SG Micro SGM3140 charge pump LED driver[1]. Seems to be abandoned as of 2025.
Hardware Acceleration in Firefox
As of 04.01.2024 it was observed on phosh that firefox-esr has a broken UI on launch, this has been linked to the hardware acceleration currently tracked on #2332!pmaports and including a hotfix and on https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/issues/10374.
Other notable issues
- Suspend is not yet fully implemented. It's recommended to disable suspend. See Qualcomm_Snapdragon_410/412_(MSM8916)#Suspend.
- GNOME and Plasma are affected by the same glitches as Firefox in v25.06. Phosh is completely usable. Plasma is glitchy but works. GNOME is currently unusable.
- Mobile data drops randomly and requires a reboot, observed using Linux 6.12.1-msm8916. Needs investigation. Can become annoying when it happens twice in a row. Phosh does warn you after a minute.
- Proximity/light sensor is not working. Needs a driver.
- FM Radio appears to be unsupported. More research is needed.
- Can read, but cannot set the hardware clock.
hwclock -w
fails with /dev/rtc0 missing. Needs investigation.
- NFC on I9195I remains untested, since neard is not packaged for armv7 at the moment. Everything seems to be in the right place. Needs a compatible battery from I9195 or I9195I to work.
- Like other MSM8916 devices, the highest CPU clock speed is only 998MHz for now. Setting the governor to performance can improve usability. To make this permanent, add
cpufreq.default_governor=performance
to the cmdline in /etc/deviceinfo and regenerate the initramfs.
Official Support Checklist
- Fix pmaports#2332 (To be decided, if it turns out to be a mesa bug then it would have to be fixed otherwise minor issue)
- Phosh scaling preset is unnecessary at this point. It mostly gets in the way with the new scaling options.
- Complete the missing flash LED driver.
- Is the model of IR transmitter known? Should be added if missing. Needs investigation.
- Investigate the modem issue mentioned above. Needs more testing.
- Should we change the display name for this board to Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Plus (samsung-serranove)? This one would not extend outside the screen.
- Other components cannot be fixed due to lack of firmware source code and signing keys from Samsung including the limitation to use armv7 instead of aarch64 architecture
Hardware details (hwtest
) for GT-I9195I
Category | Model | Path | Status | Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
framebuffer | msmdrmfb | /sys/class/graphics/fb0 | Working | |
drm | /sys/class/drm/card0-DSI-1 | Working | 540x960 | |
magnetometer | yas537 | /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device1 | Working | -0.18, -0.53, -0.34 gauss |
accelerometer | lsm6ds3_accel | /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device3 | Working | -3.49, -7,78, 4.89 g |
gyroscope | lsm6ds3_gyro | /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device2 | Working | -0.08, 0.1, -0.17 rad/s |
temperature | yas537 | /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device1 | Working | 28.1 deg C |
vibrator | pm8xxx_vib_ffmemless | /dev/input/event6 | Working | |
input | pm8941_pwrkey | /dev/input/event0 | Working | |
input | pm8941_resin | /dev/input/event1 | Working | |
input | GPIO Buttons | /dev/input/event2 | Working | |
input | GPIO Hall Effect Sensor | /dev/input/event3 | Working | |
input | Zinitix Capacitive TouchScreen | /dev/input/event4 | Working | |
input | tm2-touchkey | /dev/input/event5 | Working | |
input | msm8916 Headset Jack | /dev/input/event7 | Working |
Browser ratings
Firefox
Rating: Glitches make it annoying to use, can be fixed.
- Performs well enough in terms of speed.
- Very uncomfortable settings page, even with mobile-config-firefox installed.
- Still has the graphics issue.
Chromium
Rating: Not bad, somehow slick and clunky.
- Best performance, runs great on old SoCs.
- No phone UI, controls are tiny.
- Actually has good touch navigation.
- Needs the scaling set below 150%, or else!
- Submenus will extend outside the screen. (Unless you like ant mode.)
- Two windows at once may crash your entire desktop. Understandable.
- Parts of the GTK UI can become transparent. It remains usable, menus can be difficult to read.
Epiphany (GNOME Web)
Rating: Someone please unf*** WebKit!
- Full mobile UI, swipe navigation and proper scaling, clean and simple to use.
- Best WebApp integration of any browser. (I mean any platform!)
- As of v25.06, it has a horrible delay when scrolling. (Last year it was fast, even on stericsson!)
- Crashes sometimes. (Persistent graphics/rendering issue? It also happens with the free NVIDIA driver on PC, possibly related to some OpenGL ES 3.0 feature. I have not looked into this, could it be the same Mesa bug?)
- Experimental support for Firefox addons can be enabled in dconf settings.
Angelfish
Rating: It does work, if you are not epileptic.
- Runs fast, no complaints there.
- The UI is desiged for mobile and works well.
- Plasma does not like to exist.
Useful software
- Latest official lk2nd build Required to boot mainline.
- Latest unofficial 32-bit TWRP build Use this version if you want a booting device.
- Latest official 64-bit TWRP build It does exist. Be careful when trying this version!
cpufrequtils
package, to change the CPU governor.
See also
- Samsung Galaxy A5 2015 (samsung-a5)/Custom Partitioning Also applicable to this device.
- Kernel sources
device-samsung-serranove
linux-postmarketos-qcom-msm8916
firmware-samsung-serranove
- GSMArena device specifications for I9195I
- Wikipedia article about the S4 Mini variants
Similar devices
- Samsung Galaxy A3 2015 (samsung-a3)
- Samsung Galaxy A5 2015 (samsung-a5)
- Samsung Galaxy A7 2015 (samsung-a7)
- Samsung Galaxy E5 (samsung-e5)
- Samsung Galaxy E7 (samsung-e7)
References