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Flash guide · Method 2 of 5

Flash via SD card

~5 min Easy X3 (locked or unlocked)

The SD card method flashes firmware onto an Xteink X3 with no USB flashing involved: copy update.bin to the card, hold two buttons, and the OEM bootloader does the rest. Because the flash comes from the card, this works even on a locked X3.

Works on the X3 only

The button combo in step 3 does not engage from Xteink X4 stock firmware. On a locked X4, skip to the OTA Unlocker method instead.

Flash the Xteink X3 in 4 steps

Four steps, about five minutes. The OEM bootloader handles the flash itself.

  1. Copy update.bin to the SD card root

    The firmware's update.bin must sit at the top level of the card, not in a subfolder.

  2. Insert the card and plug in USB power

    Put the SD card in the Xteink X3 and connect USB for power.

  3. Hold the left-side button + power button together

    Keep both held until the OEM bootloader screen appears on the X3.

  4. Let it flash

    The bootloader detects update.bin and flashes it automatically.

USB flashing stays locked. The SD card method installs firmware but does not re-enable USB flashing on a locked unit.

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SD card flash troubleshooting

The common SD-card flash failures, and what fixes each one:

Device boots normally, doesn't flash
update.bin is probably in a subfolder; it must sit at the card root. Also check the name is exactly update.bin, not firmware.bin or update (1).bin.
Button combo does nothing on X4
That combo only works on the X3 from stock firmware. For a locked Xteink X4, use the OTA Unlocker instead.
In-app SD update refuses to run
That requirement only applies to the in-app SD update inside CrossPoint, added in 1.3.0 (PR #1786). The stock-bootloader method on this page needs no CrossPoint at all: it works straight from stock on the X3. On a locked X4, use the OTA Unlocker instead.
Flash completes but device won't boot
Hold power for 5–10 seconds to force a reboot. If the Xteink stays stuck, the update.bin may be corrupt: re-download it and retry.

Still stuck, or hit a different error? Browse every fix in the Xteink firmware help & FAQ, searchable by problem.