Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini LTE: How To Upgrade To Android 7.1.2 Nougat Using XenonHD ROM

by Ralph Chen / Aug 21, 2017 11:00 AM EDT

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini LTE is now upgradable to Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS via XenonHD custom ROM. XenonHD upgrades the user interface, performance, and security.

XenonHD custom ROM based from LineageOS 14.1 brings several features such as fast user interface, stable system and improved battery life to the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE Mini. With LineageOS, the ROM includes latest security patches from Google, updated Chromium Webview to version 60 and numerous bug fixes to deadlocks, freezes, and crashes, according to the official website of LineageOS.

The custom ROM kernel is Linux 3.4 and currently in beta stage. It requires the latest version of a custom recovery to install, according to noppy22 of XDA Developer.

Warning: We are not responsible for any errors which may occur on the device. This custom ROM is only applicable to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini LTE model. Read and follow the instructions carefully to prevent damaging the smartphone. Do this at your own risk.

Create a backup of all data and essential information stored on the device. Make sure that the battery level is at least 80 percent to avoid power interruption during installation. Enable the USB Debugging mode on the device.

Root the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini LTE and unlock its bootloader before installing a custom recovery such as ClockworkMod or TWRP. Download the XenonHD Android 7.1.2 Nougat, Google Apps zip file and the USB Drivers for the smartphone.

Connect the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini LTE to the computer using a USB cable and copy both XenonHD ROM and Google Apps zip files to the microSD root directory of the smartphone. Disconnect the device and turn it off.

Reboot into Recovery Mode by pressing and holding the Volume Up, Home and Power keys at the same time. In the Recovery Mode, select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and Wipe Cache Partition then Advanced > Wipe Dalvik Cache.

Return to the main menu of the Recovery Mode and select Install Zip from SD card > Choose Zip from SD card. Select the XenonHD ROM on the microSD card and confirm its installation. Do the same for the Google Apps zip file.

After the installation, go back to the main menu of the Recovery Mode and select Reboot System Now. It may take at least five minutes before the device reaches the home screen as it reads the firmware for the first time.