Update Sony Xperia SP C5302/C5303 To Latest Official 12.1.A.1.205 Firmware

Sony recently rolled out a new update for its mid-range device, the Xperia SP. The update fixes some minor bugs, performance and stability have been enhanced. The device now gets charged even faster, the performance of the Mobile Bravia Engine 2 has been enhanced as well. Besides this, the screen flickering issue has been resolved, LED does not stay on while you’re on call, overheating issue has been fixed to some extent, screen visibility has been improved and the RAM management in the newer firmware is much better than that in the .201 firmware.

The update, as always, is on a slow rollout and will hit the different regions after specific intervals of time. If you’re tired with your device’s old firmware and you can’t keep patience for the OTA updates or for Sony PC Companion to perform this update for you, you may look out for a way to get this update manually on your device. If that’s the case with you, you’ve spotted the right place. In the following post, we are going to update Sony Xperia SP C5302 and C5303 to latest stock Android 4.3 Jelly Bean 12.1.A.1.205 firmware using Sony Flashtool. All you need to perform this update is, you need to follow this guide being very careful. Let’s head towards the installation instructions.

Update Sony Xperia SP C5302/C5303 To Latest Official 12.1.A.1.205 Firmware

Pre-Installation Instructions:

1. As mentioned, this firmware is only for Xperia SP C5302/C5303. Do not try this on any other phone, that may result in bricking your device. Check your device’s model number in Settings > About device.
2. You must have installed the Sony Flashtool. Find the full guide here.
3. After installing Sony Flashtool, open the Flashtool folder from the drive where you installed it.
4. Now open Flashtool>Drivers>Flashtool-drivers.exe and install the Flashtool, Fastboot & Xperia SP drivers from the list. [Important]
5. Your phone must be charged at least over 60%. This is highly recommended in order to prevent any power issues during the flashing process.
6. Enable USB debugging mode on your device. To do so, tap settings>developer options>USB debugging. If you can’t find developer options in settings, then tap settings > about device and tap “Build Number” 7 times and you’ll get em’ activated under settings.
7. Make sure that you back up all your important media content, contacts, call logs and text messages. This is highly recommended and important in case something goes wrong during the flashing process in case you select the data to wipe option before flashing. You can easily restore whenever you need.
8. To flash this firmware, you do not need to root your device, you do not need to unlock the bootloader. All you need is, your device must be the one mentioned and must be running on Android 4.2.2 or 4.3 Jelly Bean.
9. Download the firmware file properly.
10. Use the OEM data cable to connect your phone to your PC. Using any other data cable might cause connection problems.
11. This firmware can be flashed on Xperia SP in any region/any country.
12. Alright! Follow this guide to the letter in order to prevent any mishap.

How to Install Android 4.3 Jelly Bean 12.1.A.1.205 on Xperia SP:

1. Before moving forward, please make sure that you’ve read the pre requisites and ensure that you are set to go ahead.
2. Download the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean 12.1.A.1.205  FTF file.
   1. For Xperia SP C5302 [Generic]
   2. For Xperia XP C5303[Generic]
3. Extract the downloaded RAR file and you will get the FTF.
4. Copy the file and paste in Flashtool>Firmwares folder.
5. Open Flashtool.exe now.
6. Hit the small lightning button on the top left corner and select Flashmode.
7. Select the FTF firmware file that you placed in the Firmware folder.
8. From the right side, select what do you want to wipe. Data, cache and apps log, all wipes are recommended, however, you may select if you don’t want.
9. Click on OK, and it will start preparing the firmware for flashing. This may take a little while to load.
10. As soon as the firmware is loaded, it will prompt you to attach the phone by turning it off and keeping the back key press.
11. For Xperia SP, Volume Down key will do the job of back key, just turn off your phone, keep the Volume Down key pressed and plug in the data cable.
12. As soon as the phone is detected in Flashmode, the firmware will start flashing, Do not leave the Volume Down key until the process is complete.
13. As soon as you see “Flashing ended or Finished Flashing” leave the Volume Down key, plug the cable out and reboot.
14. That’s All! Congrats! You’ve installed latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean on your Xperia SP C5302/C5303. Enjoy

In case you got any queries or face any problems regarding this guide, please feel free to stop by the comment box below and let us know. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks all!