Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra (sony-redwood)
| This device has been tested with postmarketOS, but its device package has not yet been added to the postmarketOS repositories. This means that it cannot be selected in pmbootstrap. Status: Mainlining in progress. Boots to initramfs with mainline kernel. |
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| Manufacturer | Sony |
|---|---|
| Name | Xperia XA1 Ultra |
| Codename | sony-redwood |
| Released | 2017 |
| Type | handset |
| Hardware | |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio P20 (MT6757) |
| CPU |
Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | Mali-T880 MP2 |
| Display | 1080 x 1920 IPS LCD |
| Storage | 32 GB / 64 GB |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM |
| Architecture | aarch64 |
| Software | |
Original software The software and version the device was shipped with. |
Android 7.0 |
Extended version The most recent supported version from the manufacturer. |
Android 8.0 |
| postmarketOS | |
| Category | testing |
Mainline Instead of a Linux kernel fork, it is possible to run (Close to) Mainline. |
yes |
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
|
Internal storage eMMC, SD cards, UFS... |
Works
|
Battery Whether charging and battery level reporting work. |
Partial
|
Screen Whether the display works; ideally with sleep mode and brightness control. |
Partial
|
Touchscreen |
Works
|
| Multimedia | |
3D Acceleration |
Works
|
Audio Audio playback, microphone, headset and buttons. |
Broken
|
Camera |
Broken
|
| Connectivity | |
WiFi |
Broken
|
Bluetooth |
Broken
|
GPS |
Broken
|
NFC Near Field Communication |
Broken
|
| Modem | |
Calls |
Broken
|
SMS |
Broken
|
Mobile data |
Broken
|
| Miscellaneous | |
FDE Full disk encryption and unlocking with unl0kr. |
Untested
|
USB OTG USB On-The-Go or USB-C Role switching. |
Broken
|
Users owning this device
- Bengris32 (Notes: Unlocked with MTKClient and kaeru)
Unlocking the bootloader
| NOTE: This guide replaces the stock bootloader with kaeru, which offers far better usability and quality-of-life improvements compared to the original. The stock OS will still boot normally. |
Before starting, ensure that your device is running Android 8.0.0. If you are still on Android 7, you must upgrade to Android 8 first.
Sony devices use two separate unlock states: the official Sony unlock state stored in the TA (Trim Area) partition, and the default MediaTek unlock state stored in the seccfg partition.
Both must be unlocked before installing kaeru.
Begin by unlocking the TA state using Sony’s official bootloader unlocking procedure, available at the Sony Developer website.
Once TA is unlocked, you must reboot the device into BROM mode. To do this, use mtk-su to obtain a temporary root shell, then intentionally corrupt the stock LK image to force a BROM mode.
This is done by running the following command:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/11230000.msdc0/by-name/lk
After running the command, power off the device and disconnect it from the computer.
Set up the this fork of MTKClient, which includes the necessary patches for this device.
Once installed, download and place the kaeru image into MTKClient's root folder and then run the following commands to unlock the seccfg state and flash the bootloader image:
./mtk.py da seccfg unlock ./mtk.py w lk canopy-kaeru.bin ./mtk.py reset
After the tool resets the device, disconnect it and boot into FASTBOOT mode by holding both POWER and VOLUME DOWN simultaneously.
Your device is now fully unlocked and running the kaeru-modified bootloader. Congratulations.
The main advantages of kaeru include:
- Unrestricted flashing and erasing of any partition.
- The ability to disconnect the phone in FASTBOOT MODE without it powering off.
- A proper boot mode selector that uses the volume keys.
- Removal of boot-state warning screens.
- A real FASTBOOT interface.
How to enter flash mode
| WARNING: If you are using the stock bootloader, please note that the key combinations differ significantly, and some may not function as expected |
- Fastboot mode: Hold and at the same time while booting until you see a PURPLE LED.
- Recovery mode: Hold and at the same time while booting.
- Service mode: Hold , and at the same time while booting until you see a GREEN LED.
Notes for the stock bootloader
| NOTE: Ignore this if you use kaeru. |
The key combinations are reversed:
- To enter RECOVERY, hold + .
- To enter FASTBOOT, hold + .
Disconnecting the USB cable in FASTBOOT mode will cause the phone to power off.
In this case, the FASTBOOT screen will remain blank, and the LED will light up blue instead of purple.