Samsung Galaxy S III mini (samsung-golden)

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Samsung Galaxy S III Mini
Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini (wine red version) running postmarketOS Phosh in November 2024
Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini (wine red version) running postmarketOS Phosh in November 2024
Manufacturer Samsung
Name Galaxy S III Mini
Codename samsung-golden
Model GT-I8190
Released 2012
Type handset
Hardware
Chipset ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500
CPU 1 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9
GPU Mali-400 MP1
Display 480x800 AMOLED
Storage 8 GB
Memory 1 GB
Architecture armv7
Software
Original software Android
Original version 4.1.1
Extended version 4.1.2
FOSS bootloader yes
postmarketOS
Category testing
Pre-built images no
Mainline yes
Features
Flashing
Works
USB Networking
Works
Internal storage
Works
SD card
Works
Battery
Works
Screen
Works
Touchscreen
Works
Multimedia
3D Acceleration
Works
Audio
Broken
Camera
Broken
Camera Flash
Works
Connectivity
WiFi
Works
Bluetooth
Partial
GPS
Broken
Modem
Calls
Broken
SMS
Broken
Mobile data
Broken
Miscellaneous
FDE
Works
USB OTG
Partial
Sensors
Accelerometer
Works
Magnetometer
Works
Ambient Light
Works
Proximity
Works
Haptics
Works
U-Boot
Primary Bootloader
Broken
Secondary Bootloader
Works
Mainline
Works
Internal Storage
Works
SD card
Broken
USB Host
Works
USB Peripheral
Works
Display
Works
Buttons
Works
This device is based on the ST-Ericsson U8500.
See the SoC page for common tips, guides and troubleshooting steps

Contributors

Maintainer(s)

Users owning this device


Installation

The mainline kernel can only be booted through U-Boot, not directly with the Samsung bootloader. U-Boot is installed as intermediate bootloader on the boot partition, so it does not replace the Samsung bootloader entirely. pmbootstrap can only support one bootloader configuration at the moment, which is why U-Boot is also recommended when installing the downstream kernel.

Boot into Download Mode using Power + Volume Down + Home and follow follow the the NovaThor U8500 U-Boot installation instructions to install U-Boot.

Finally, follow the Installation guide. You should install the rootfs to the SD-Card, because the internal Storage is pretty limited.

If the screen does not come on after boot, press the power button and it should come up.

Mainline

Working (v5.18.0-rc1):

  • Display including full brightness control
  • GPU (Mali-400 MP using Lima)
  • Touchscreen
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth (partial - at least on my device scanning for other devices works but it keeps disconnecting when connecting to other devices; not sure why)
  • IMU (Accelerometer + Gyroscope)
  • USB
  • Flashlight (turn on/off in Phosh drop down menu)
  • Battery - charging and battery indicator works

Not working:

  • Audio
  • Camera
  • Other

Bluetooth

Bluetooth does not have any Bluetooth device address (bdaddr or "MAC address") set after boot at the moment. To make Bluetooth work, you need to manually configure one: 

# apk add bluez-btmgmt
# btmgmt public-addr <bdaddr>

where <bdaddr> is a MAC address like 53:33:6d:69:6e:69.

The Bluetooth controller should then show up in bluetoothctl: 

# apk add bluez
# rc-service bluetooth start
$ bluetoothctl

You can e.g scan for devices: 

[bluetooth]# show
[bluetooth]# power on
[bluetooth]# advertise on
[bluetooth]# system-alias golden
[bluetooth]# scan on

Experience

Downstream: The best user interface to install is XFCE4. Other ones do lag, or just don't respond. Especially KDE Plasma.

Mainline: Plasma Mobile and Phosh should work okay.

DSI Scaling Error in Phosh

If you are running phosh, and the scaling is wrong so that you cannot type in the password to unlock the initial login screen, this can be fixed by changing this file /usr/share/phosh/phoc.ini like this: 

 [output:DSI-1]
 scale = 1

See Also

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