Install CM10.2 Jelly Bean 4.3 Custom ROM on Sony Xperia U ST25i

We reserved CM10.2 Jelly Bean 4.3 custom ROM particularly for Sony Xperia U ST25i. From the many other custom ROMs, this one struck us the most thanks to the wealth of new stuff it presented at a closer look.

However, the new CyanogenMod ROM may give you one or two bugs along the way; thankfully there are nightly versions that will take care of this, and the bugs themselves aren’t bad.

The problems that haven’t been taken care of yet concern the Bluetooth, WiFi direct and wireless Tethering. Now for the features that come with this firmware: tweaks that will help the battery last more, DSP equalizer, system enhancement, tweaks to improve cam quality, security improvements and so on. Every single one of these goodies come together to give you a great phone.

Requirements

Requirements now:

• install a custom recovery from here on the handset after you root it;
• create a backup using this guide;
• charge your device’s battery;
• download, on your PC or notebook, Google Apps from here, the (file name: cm_kumquat-ota_eng-leonardo123.zip.zip), ADB and fastboot from (file name: ADB_files.zip);
• use the model that has an unlocked bootloader.

Apart from these requirements, we ask that you follow the steps that come up in the next paragraph.

Instructions

1. Take your phone and leave your comp or laptop turned on. Plug the former to the latter next. Then move the Google Apps and the update file from above to the handset’s SD card root and leave all of them unzipped.
2. Next: extract the content of the fastboot and the ADB files. Now you can finally extract the content of cm_kumquat-ota_eng-leonardo123.zip.zip custom ROM and look for this: boot.img.
3. Move the kernel file to the fastboot folder and see if the following files are featured there: adb.exe, fastboot.exe, AdbWinApi .dll, runme .lnk and AdbWinUsbApi .dll.
4. For the next step, we advise you to do this: enter the handset in Fastboot Mode by pressing and simultaneously holding Volume Up while the handset is plugged to your laptop.
5. Now you should launch the folder called Fastboot and then double-click on the runme.lnk file. After a Command Prompt Window is open, you need to type in “fastboot devices” in the window. The kernel file shall soon be installed, so wait for this to happen.
6. Now you are going to spot a couple of numbers. So type in another command, this one: fastboot flash boot boot.img”. Unplug the Sony Xperia U ST25i from your notebook. Power the device off by long-pressing this key: “Power”.
7. To install the update file on your smartphone, you have to follow some instructions. Boot the device in Recovery Mode by turning it off, powering it on then, while the device restarts, make sure to press + tap Volume. Then create a full NANDroid backup and choose Install zip from SD card. Locate Choose zip from SD card; select this option, too, then opt for the upgrade file and confirm its flashing. To confirm, you only have to press Yes. The flashing is going to end quickly, so just wait a couple of minutes.
8. At the end of the installation process you should choose these options: Factory Reset/Wipe Data and Wipe Cache Partition.
9. [sc name=”banner-jos”]The steps that installed the CyanogenMod file will also work for the flashing of the Gapps package, so follow them for the next part of the guide. Once this package is on your phone, too, you need not perform the wiping data tasks.
10. Reboot the smartphone by choosing the restart button from your device’s Recovery Menu. The Sony Xperia U ST25i is now updated to the CM10.2 Android 4.3 custom ROM and our tutorial is over, so make the most of this!

In case the old ROM seemed better, you should follow these steps to get it back: enter the Recovery Mode again, choose Backup&Restore and make sure you opt for “Restore” when a screen appears.