Hi.
I receive my new Xperia Z after upgrading from a Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9305) in the next few days and wondered if you guys would be happy enough to answer some questions for me?
Firstly, I know you can unlock the Bootloader, but is it worth it? Does the Bravia Engine make that much of a difference?
If I do unlock the Bootloader, can I still install MODs like ACIDMOD and other stuff or is it MOD specific?
Do any of you use a custom ROM? Reading other topics, there doesn't seem to be a stable (relatively bug-free) release yet, so am I better just sitting it out with the stock ROM?
I take it Rooting leaves the Bootloader intact?
Sorry for the Q & A.
Thanks in advance!
ianrobbie said:
Hi.
I receive my new Xperia Z after upgrading from a Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9305) in the next few days and wondered if you guys would be happy enough to answer some questions for me?
Firstly, I know you can unlock the Bootloader, but is it worth it? Does the Bravia Engine make that much of a difference?
If I do unlock the Bootloader, can I still install MODs like ACIDMOD and other stuff or is it MOD specific?
Do any of you use a custom ROM? Reading other topics, there doesn't seem to be a stable (relatively bug-free) release yet, so am I better just sitting it out with the stock ROM?
I take it Rooting leaves the Bootloader intact?
Sorry for the Q & A.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also came from Samsung and @ Samsung phones the bootloader is unlocked by default, so flashing another kernel is nothing out of the ordinary. Many of us have completely disabled Bravia Engine, so it won't matter for those people if they lost it. You don't need to unlock the Bootloader in order to install a custom rom. When the rom contains a different kernel (non stock) then you will need to unlock the bootloader (If it's even possible).
Root and bootloader aren't related. You can root every phone, but the bootloader can't be unlocked on every device.
Dsteppa said:
I also came from Samsung and @ Samsung phones the bootloader is unlocked by default, so flashing another kernel is nothing out of the ordinary. Many of us have completely disabled Bravia Engine, so it won't matter for those people if they lost it. You don't need to unlock the Bootloader in order to install a custom rom. When the rom contains a different kernel (non stock) then you will need to unlock the bootloader (If it's even possible).
Root and bootloader aren't related. You can root every phone, but the bootloader can't be unlocked on every device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oooh, you beat me to it.
However, I couldn't have put it better myself.
@OP
When I first got my XZ I could definitely see the difference between BE and no BE, however, it was worth the sacrifice, I'd rather have complete freedom over my device than have a very slightly improved image quality.
If you want ROMs like CM10.1 and stuff you will have to unlock the bootloader (requires custom kernel), however, stock based ROMs (Such as KA06, or my ROM) will accept the stock kernel too.
Of course, the ultimate choice is yours but I'd be leaning more towards a bootloader unlock if I were you.
ianrobbie said:
Hi.
I receive my new Xperia Z after upgrading from a Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9305) in the next few days and wondered if you guys would be happy enough to answer some questions for me?
Firstly, I know you can unlock the Bootloader, but is it worth it? Does the Bravia Engine make that much of a difference?
If I do unlock the Bootloader, can I still install MODs like ACIDMOD and other stuff or is it MOD specific?
Do any of you use a custom ROM? Reading other topics, there doesn't seem to be a stable (relatively bug-free) release yet, so am I better just sitting it out with the stock ROM?
I take it Rooting leaves the Bootloader intact?
Sorry for the Q & A.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that for the time being there is no point in unlocking your bootloader. Remember that once you unlock it you do void your warranty. Maybe it would be worth keeping just for a little bit just in the case that your unit was faulty in any way.
Bravia Engine 2 in my opinion looks very good and does make a difference. It is a matter of personal preference though (as is all the color, contrast, viewing angle etc)
As of now there aren't too many custom ROM's for the Xperia Z. There are however quite a few useful MOD's that you can try as most of them work for rooted phones with LOCKED bootloader. You might need to be deodexed for some of them though.
And yes rooting does leave the bootloader intact.
Here is my video that you can find in the general thread as well showing 10 things that you could try after root:
In conclusion in my opinion it IS worth rooting the phone but NOT neccesserily unlocking the bootloader at least for the time being.
ianrobbie said:
Hi.
I receive my new Xperia Z after upgrading from a Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9305) in the next few days and wondered if you guys would be happy enough to answer some questions for me?
Firstly, I know you can unlock the Bootloader, but is it worth it? Does the Bravia Engine make that much of a difference?
If I do unlock the Bootloader, can I still install MODs like ACIDMOD and other stuff or is it MOD specific?
Do any of you use a custom ROM? Reading other topics, there doesn't seem to be a stable (relatively bug-free) release yet, so am I better just sitting it out with the stock ROM?
I take it Rooting leaves the Bootloader intact?
Sorry for the Q & A.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you unlock your bootloader consider this.
I tried root with my bootloader locked and so far it wasn't satisfying at all. My other phone is a galaxy nexus and with CM 10.1 running on that machine it's pure pleasure. :laugh:
I am not sure about the bravia engine thing. Pics and clips will look really neat on your device, but what happens when share your clips and pics with someone who hasn't the bravia engine on the phone... Anyway, now that we have the possibility to save the drm keys we can restore the bravia engine.
I tried the latest cm 10.1 nightly on my xperia and it runs smooth. The cam works pretty well and since yesterday there is also 12,8 megapixel supported.
The next Rom I will try will be probably this but for now I'll stick with my cm nightly. The only downside is that DoomKernel does not support cm 10.1 yet.
Sony's cam app is quite good and I really like the many options one can play around with. On the other hand I really hate the album compared to stock jb/ics or cm 10.1.
Isnt there any dev. That can make a zip of the bravia engine 2,
I know but dont understand drmkeys ect.
I also have agalaxy nexus wtih bravia engine...sooo is it that hard for dev.s to make it work again?
No disprespect intended btw
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
May we request any dev to kindly incorporate the CWM recovery to TX 9.1.B.1.67, it has new kernel
Granted I am on unlock BL and I can easily use Doomlord's custom kernel, but the TX new FW got new updated kernel as well(and sources are not yet available so Doom atm cannot merge it yet to his custom kernel).
here's the kernel.sin
Thanks in advance
But if anybody can point me on how to do it on Windows(if there's even any), i'll try do it myself, been searching around but all i ended up reading are still vague to me.
Rycon33 said:
May we request any dev to kindly incorporate the CWM recovery to TX 9.1.B.1.67, it has new kernel
Granted I am on unlock BL and I can easily use Doomlord's custom kernel, but the TX new FW got new updated kernel as well(and sources are not yet available so Doom atm cannot merge it yet to his custom kernel).
here's the kernel.sin
Thanks in advance
But if anybody can point me on how to do it on Windows(if there's even any), i'll try do it myself, been searching around but all i ended up reading are still vague to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U can still use CWM for locked bootloader
No need to decompile anything
XD
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2012738
But to mess with kernels you need champioshipswimmers kernel kitchen.
Just search for it in xda, very easy to use.
But if you are on windows you will either have to install Cygwin (To run Linux commands) or install Ubuntu (Or similar) on another partition.
Its a good practice to get your head around things, I enjoyed doing it the first time.
Hi!
I was wondering if it would be possible to run a CM userland on a stock kernel (Yes I am one of those fools who bought a device with "bootloader unlock allowed: no").
This has been done in the past for other phones and apart from delivering a CM experience to locked phones this would also allow for a working Bravia engine on CM. Sure there would be some limitations when running such a setup (e.g. because of certain kernel modules not being available), but Sony seems to update the official firmwares at a acceptable pace, so there are fairly recent official kernels available: Most recent stable CM is based on 4.2.2 as is Sony's most recent firmware.
I can hardly estimate how problematic other aspects (ABI version mismatches, etc..) might be when trying this, but I remember CyanoSpaceMod for the XU which worked for devices with locked bootloaders. It was a working CM9 and implemented CWM in the same manner as the dual recovery on the XZ for locked bootloaders running on the stock kernel.
All in all it seems to me that all the building blocks are there, but I have no experience in building CM, so I cannot do this on my own, I need some guidance.
Would it be enough to simply build CM for the prebuilt stock kernel as outlined here, even if it meant that tehre would be no CWM support initially? The kernel itself can easily be extracted from a stock rom...
Any help -- even just an educated guess -- would be appreciated.
Not possible matey.
DrKrFfXx said:
Not possible matey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you point me to somewhere, where I can find an elaboration on the subject so I can educate myself?
Why is the XZ so much different than other Sony phones? Or is it simply because Sony was so forthcoming in open sourcing everything they legally can, fostering kernel hacking so that the CM kernel now differs greatly from the stock kernel?
In that case I can fully understand that major changes in the CM base would be required to make it run on the stock kernel...
(I am actually just asking out of curiosity, since I got an unlockable device yesterday )
dear Master,
previously i own xperia go and M. both of them are bootloader unlocked.
now im using z3 compact. i heard that if i unlock the bootloader it has effect on quality of picture. when i have Go and M. i cant differentiate the quality of pic.
so my question is, is woth unlocking bootloader on z3 compact?
for me - No
for many - Yes
Well yes, that you can get cyanogenmod and many other great ROM's (Cyanogenmod has a great battery life and great enhancements), plus great kernels.
But no, if you enjoy using your phone for photography, then do not unlock it.
As unlocking your bootloader, you loose your DRM keys (which enhance photography, visuals and sound of the Xperia.
If I were you, I would wait until after stock Marshmallow is released and give it a try via standard, factory OTA. If MM were still months away, I wouldn't wait.
Then, after you've gotten tired of stock MM and its features, and you want to try new things, take care to back up your DRM keys (which is a bit tricky; you have to root without unlocking, I believe). After you've done that and have backed up your data, as long as you're careful and follow the more detailed tutorials on this forum, you can experiment to your heart's content.
Could we root z3 compact without unlocking bootloader? I have an unlocked bootloader z1 compact and yes it does effect the picture quality. All those 3rd party OS's can't match stock camera quality. Period.
Yes You can see here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3011598
giefroot - rooting tool (CVE-2014-4322)
Now if worth or not unlocking it depends if you want another thing then stock or stock based. But till now there isn't to many choices... So stock with root for many is enough I think...
I unlocked bootloader but can restore the cam quality. Google "drm restore xperia xda". Sorry i'm on mobile cannot provide link.
So, go unlock it!
I downgraded my phone to 4.4.4, root exploiting, install XZDualRecovery and flash pre-rooted firmware
duke_dreadmoore said:
I unlocked bootloader but can restore the cam quality. Google "drm restore xperia xda". Sorry i'm on mobile cannot provide link.
So, go unlock it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, just a single question for you please. I am on KitKat rooted and locked bootloader. Can I flash Sony Concept Marshmallow and then restore DRM keys to make sure that Noise Cancellation and camera works good?
HearseRider said:
Hey, just a single question for you please. I am on KitKat rooted and locked bootloader. Can I flash Sony Concept Marshmallow and then restore DRM keys to make sure that Noise Cancellation and camera works good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but why would you want to do that?
There are several Marshmallow builds out now that are stock. Far less hassle. Sorry, but any development that insists on recking the best features of your camera doesn't get my vote.
You just need Flashfire and Slim, then your phone will be amazing
thanks all master, and friends.
i just got back my z3 compact. after had screen cracked by it self. fortunately it still has warranty. it take 3 months. hahahaha
Didgesteve said:
Yes, but why would you want to do that?
There are several Marshmallow builds out now that are stock. Far less hassle. Sorry, but any development that insists on recking the best features of your camera doesn't get my vote.
You just need Flashfire and Slim, then your phone will be amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are aware that the DRM restoration mod enables all those camera features even after unlocking a bootloader, right? I have my original DRM keys backed up and my bootloader unlocked for a year already and haven't looked back since, because everything is easier with BL unlocked + custom kernels (@someone755 gave us a very appealing MM kernel) and with the DRM restoration working on all stock based roms (from KK to latest MM, Concept rom included) it's a pure joy.
Plus, he can use MultiROM and boot CM/AOSP based rom, to experience stock Android, with the noice reduction algorithm working EVEN on **CM/AOSP, confirmed as well.
**Do note that it's not working wonders as on stock, but it is noticeable difference compared to using CM/AOSP as primary rom, without MultiROM.
Anyway at this point in development, since there is no difference between features (camera) of locked BL vs unlocked BL with DRM restoration mod, it all comes down at how easier it is to flash custom recovery and roms with UBL.
That being said, we all have different preferences, so what suits my needs does not necessarily suit someone else's, and if the OP is asking it just for the sake of having his bootloader unlocked (without the need to flash CM/AOSP rom and/or custom kernel) then don't do it. If OP wants to flash and experiment, then just go ahead and unlock.
Read the needed tutorials, find a tutorial to root the device without unlocking BL, BACKUP ORIGINAL DRM keys right away after rooting, and do as you wish
Cheers
P.S. @Didgesteve Don't get mad mate, not flaming you, just giving the OP choices and additional info, like yourself, and I support your helpful posts as I've seen your dedication
Cirra92 said:
You are aware that the DRM restoration mod enables all those camera features even after unlocking a bootloader, right? I have my original DRM keys backed up and my bootloader unlocked for a year already and haven't looked back since, because everything is easier with BL unlocked + custom kernels (@someone755 gave us a very appealing MM kernel) and with the DRM restoration working on all stock based roms (from KK to latest MM, Concept rom included) it's a pure joy.
Plus, he can use MultiROM and boot CM/AOSP based rom, to experience stock Android, with the noice reduction algorithm working EVEN on **CM/AOSP, confirmed as well.
**Do note that it's not working wonders as on stock, but it is noticeable difference compared to using CM/AOSP as primary rom, without MultiROM.
Anyway at this point in development, since there is no difference between features (camera) of locked BL vs unlocked BL with DRM restoration mod, it all comes down at how easier it is to flash custom recovery and roms with UBL.
That being said, we all have different preferences, so what suits my needs does not necessarily suit someone else's, and if the OP is asking it just for the sake of having his bootloader unlocked (without the need to flash CM/AOSP rom and/or custom kernel) then don't do it. If OP wants to flash and experiment, then just go ahead and unlock.
Read the needed tutorials, find a tutorial to root the device without unlocking BL, BACKUP ORIGINAL DRM keys right away after rooting, and do as you wish
Cheers
P.S. @Didgesteve Don't get mad mate, not flaming you, just giving the OP choices and additional info, like yourself, and I support your helpful posts as I've seen your dedication
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Cirra92 you're right, it's good to give people choices. & no I'm not mad.
But development is limited on our aging Z3Cs, I know you mention CM & AOSP roms, but really there aren't any working well to speak of.
The only couple of developements with any traction is Slim or Concept (Max Ultra Fury is just bits of scripts copied from other deveolpers). So if you had to recomend which one to choose and one of the options involed unlocking the bootloader, which one would you go for?
I know there's a way to restore your DRM post unlock, but having spent a while on the Z3 thread, I've seen so many cries for help (like here & here & here & here) from people who get it wrong and brick their phones with Flashtool, that I struggle to recomend people playing with the tool when the stock options are just as good and won't endanger the phone.
Didgesteve said:
@Cirra92 you're right, it's good to give people choices. & no I'm not mad.
But development is limited on our aging Z3Cs, I know you mention CM & AOSP roms, but really there aren't any working well to speak of.
The only couple of developements with any traction is Slim or Concept (Max Ultra Fury is just bits of scripts copied from other deveolpers). So if you had to recomend which one to choose and one of the options involed unlocking the bootloader, which one would you go for?
I know there's a way to restore your DRM post unlock, but having spent a while on the Z3 thread, I've seen so many cries for help (like here & here & here & here) from people who get it wrong and brick their phones with Flashtool, that I struggle to recomend people playing with the tool when the stock options are just as good and won't endanger the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using SliMM 2.0 and it was fast and mostly reliable (Wajk has made sure to make it stable) but there were still some bugs, and battery life for me was a bit worse than his LP rom with same usage and setup. If OP requires root on whatever rom he chooses, I would go for Concept (which does require UBL to be rooted) as it's the fastest I've used, it's stable as a rock and it has a very good battery life + it's nearly AOSP looking and performs that way.
As for the Flashtool issues... Well if I understood those were mostly user mistakes, right? I have always carefully checked what was (un)selected before flashing anything in Flashtool, especially with SIMLOCK. When I bought the device last summer I probably spent 2 days reading every thread about rooting/(un)locking/flashing and it's consequences and even today I still recheck and read again the procedure if needed.
Follow the tutorials exactly as they were written and no problems will occur
Cirra92 said:
I have been using SliMM 2.0 and it was fast and mostly reliable (Wajk has made sure to make it stable) but there were still some bugs, and battery life for me was a bit worse than his LP rom with same usage and setup. If OP requires root on whatever rom he chooses, I would go for Concept (which does require UBL to be rooted) as it's the fastest I've used, it's stable as a rock and it has a very good battery life + it's nearly AOSP looking and performs that way.
As for the Flashtool issues... Well if I understood those were mostly user mistakes, right? I have always carefully checked what was (un)selected before flashing anything in Flashtool, especially with SIMLOCK. When I bought the device last summer I probably spent 2 days reading every thread about rooting/(un)locking/flashing and it's consequences and even today I still recheck and read again the procedure if needed.
Follow the tutorials exactly as they were written and no problems will occur
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps we can agree to disagree.
I don't think telling someone who's new to XDA and only has a handful of posts that they should embark on the unlock process. Some phones can't be unlocked and I am tired *sigh* of trying to comfort users who post the "waaa, my phone is broken", over and over again.
Hey all....experiencing lag and overheating after unlocking BL .Is that ok ,anyone?
Using slimm 2.4 full rom on my D5803 .Factory reset and drm fix applied ,prior use
nicorb said:
Hey all....experiencing lag and overheating after unlocking BL .Is that ok ,anyone?
Using slimm 2.4 full rom on my D5803 .Factory reset and drm fix applied ,prior use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bootloader is locked, sorry, can't help you.
Perhaps @Cirra92 might have some ideas?
Unlocked bootloader on Xperia Z5, rooted with stock MM rom (253). Debloated and deodexed, and get easily over 8hrs of SOT (screen on time) with still about 20-24% battery remaining .. So is it worth it?? You tell me ..
***In other words, YES***
Only if you know what you're doing so you dont hard brick your device
Hope that helps, All the best ....
Sent from Sony Xperia Z5 E6653
nicorb said:
Hey all....experiencing lag and overheating after unlocking BL .Is that ok ,anyone?
Using slimm 2.4 full rom on my D5803 .Factory reset and drm fix applied ,prior use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, that won't be caused by unlocking your BL. I've flashed different roms numerous times, no such issue. Haven't tried slimm 2.4 though, maybe it is rom related, but so far no one mentioned that. You are using stock slimm kernel, right?
Install Kernel Adiutor from Play Store and check which governor your device is using in CPU section. It should be "interactive", but there are cases where it was set to "performance" after unlocking BL, which caused overheating and lagging due to thermal throttling.
To answer again, is it worth unlocking, from my point of view
Hello,
I have managed to keep my bootloader locked until now (rooted and running SliMM Rom).
But now that the DRM fixes seems to be working well and that EliteKernel even includes it, should I go on and unlock my bootloader?
What are the pros and cons of unlocking/having an unlocked BL?
From what I've read, Android 6.0 AOSP/CM development for Z3c is in its pretty early stages and the builds, aside from having some bugs, have important camera issues. So are there benefits in having unlocked BL with a stock firmware based ROM?
Thanks in advance for your help and answers!
bafforosso said:
Hello,
I have managed to keep my bootloader locked until now (rooted and running SliMM Rom).
But now that the DRM fixes seems to be working well and that EliteKernel even includes it, should I go on and unlock my bootloader?
What are the pros and cons of unlocking/having an unlocked BL?
From what I've read, Android 6.0 AOSP/CM development for Z3c is in its pretty early stages and the builds, aside from having some bugs, have important camera issues. So are there benefits in having unlocked BL with a stock firmware based ROM?
Thanks in advance for your help and answers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocked bootloader means that the phone can use CM/AOSP based ROMs, things that we will need from now on. Apart from this, unlocked bootloaders give you the permission to take control over your phone by configuring your kernel in whatever way you want to.
The downside of the unlocked bootloader WAS the DRM problem. But now that we have a fix available and no more support for our Xperia device, I say unlocking is a good choice. You practically lose nothing.
Before unlocking the bootloader you should try to backup your DRM keys just in case you might need the warranty, even though I heard that they don't care about this or about the rooted device. You can backup your device by using this.
doriandiaconu said:
The downside of the unlocked bootloader WAS the DRM problem. But now that we have a fix available and no more support for our Xperia device, I say unlocking is a good choice. You practically lose nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't the fix only apply to stock based ROMS though? AFAIK roms like CM and PA can't take advantage of the DRM fixes and have poor camera quality as a result.
hikihibiki said:
Doesn't the fix only apply to stock based ROMS though? AFAIK roms like CM and PA can't take advantage of the DRM fixes and have poor camera quality as a result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. But would you rather not stay updated than have a worse camera?