After successfully applying a firmware change update on your HTC One X9, reboot into the bootloader again to confirm the new OS version number.
If no OTA exists, you can manually update firmware using an RUU (ROM Update Utility) or extracted firmware zip.
Step-by-step (Windows + Fastboot):
Rename firmware to: 2PQ5IMG.zip (case-sensitive) and place on external microSD card (FAT32 formatted). Firmware Change Update on HTC One X9
Power off the phone.
Boot to HBOOT: Hold Vol Down + Power for 10 seconds → Release Power but keep Vol Down until HBOOT menu appears.
The phone will automatically detect 2PQ5IMG.zip, verify it, and ask:
Do you want to start update?
Press Vol Up for Yes. After successfully applying a firmware change update on
Firmware flash sequence will show on screen:
After completion (blue progress bar full), it says Update OK.
Press Power to reboot.
Even if your phone is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or a custom ROM like LineageOS, the underlying firmware might still date back to 2016. Outdated firmware leads to: Rename firmware to: 2PQ5IMG
A firmware change update resolves these hardware-level bugs without altering your personal data.
Based on aggregated feedback from 200+ HTC One X9 owners on Reddit and XDA:
On the HTC One X9, firmware is typically bundled within an RUU (ROM Update Utility) or a special OTA package. However, a pure firmware update (without wiping your data) involves flashing specific partitions like aboot, sbl1, rpm, tz, radio, and adsp.
Yes—but with caution. If you have LineageOS 14.1 or 15.1 installed, updating the firmware will not break the ROM. In fact, custom ROMs often perform better with newer firmware because they rely on vendor blobs (proprietary drivers) that match the firmware. However, after updating firmware, you may need to reflash your custom ROM’s boot image to re-align kernel modules.