If you want customization, crDroid is the "new" hotness.
Because the M5 Lite runs well on its stock software (EMUI based on Android 8/9), many developers focus on tweaking the stock firmware rather than building a new OS from scratch.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite supports Project Treble. This is the only way to get a "modern" Android experience on this tablet. huawei mediapad m5 lite custom rom new
Here is the updated list of ROMs currently active for the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite (Model: BAH2-L09, BAH2-W19, or BAH2-AL00).
Unlike the Kirin 950/960 devices (Honor 8, P9), the Kirin 659 series lacked enthusiast interest. No LineageOS official or unofficial maintainer has produced a working Android 10+ ROM. If you want customization, crDroid is the "new" hotness
There have been unofficial builds of LineageOS (specifically LineageOS 15.1 and 16.1, based on Android 8.1 and 9.0) developed for this tablet.
The MediaPad M5 Lite ships with Android 8.0 (EMUI 8.0) and supports Project Treble. This means you can flash a GSI – a generic Android image. Phhusson’s AOSP 11/12 – More stable than LineageOS
Compatible GSIs (Tested by community members):
phh-settings.How to flash (if unlocked):
| Criteria | Status | Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Bootloader Unlock | ⚠️ Difficult | Official unlock discontinued; paid unofficial unlock available but risky. | | Kernel Source | ❌ Partial | Huawei released kernel 4.4.23 source but without device-specific defconfig or vendor drivers. | | Treble Support | ✅ Yes | Device launched with Android 8 (Treble mandatory), vendor partition v27 present. | | GSI Functionality | ⚠️ Partial | Android 12/13 GSIs boot but with major regressions (no audio, broken auto-rotate, camera fails). |