Crucial Warning: The ZTE C880 family utilizes carrier-specific radio basebands and modem partitions (e.g. C880S China Mobile vs C880D China Telecom vs C880A/C880U China Unicom). Always select the firmware package that matches your exact motherboard variant. Flashing cross-carrier preloader or modem partitions can result in loss of baseband, invalid IMEI, or a non-booting device.
Download Firmware for ZTE Blade A1
中兴C880S线刷包.rar
Official factory unbrick scatter package for ZTE C880S. Contains raw eMMC partition binaries and scatter file for recovering dead or bootlooped devices.
MD5: 355c3e088f044518fecfdba73f8bdebb
ZTE_C880S_YDWM_304910B0997T_C880SV1.0.0B04.rar
Official maintenance release V1.0.0B04 for the China Mobile C880S variant.
MD5: 2b42b50ef1f7e56143a9e48ddab257ea
C880A-304070B0759C880AV1.0.0B02.rar
Official factory service firmware build V1.0.0B02 for China Unicom C880A hardware.
MD5: 57e5726c2d4016567ce636d33864513a
ZTE_C880A_314620_B1335_V1.0.0_B06_OTA.zip
Official recovery OTA update archive V1.0.0B06 for model C880A. Copy update.zip to root of microSD card and flash via stock recovery.
⬇️ Download via Google DriveC880U_314620B1816C880UV1.0.0B06.rar
Official factory maintenance firmware V1.0.0B06 for model C880U hardware revision.
MD5: 3d02f94a07a52083113c17ec68cc5c1b
ZTE_C880D_QCDX_309670B0521C880D 1.30GB V1.0.0B04.rar
Official full stock factory firmware V1.0.0B04 for the China Telecom CDMA/LTE C880D variant.
MD5: 66f4e1f8842d9a8f7a224bfe75de39f2
ZTE_Blade_A1_C880D_309670_B0521_V1.0.0_B04_OTA.zip
Official recovery OTA update zip for China Telecom C880D. Can be flashed from microSD card via stock recovery or local update menu.
⬇️ Download via Google DriveExpand preparation checklist for ZTE Blade A1
- Confirm your exact phone model (C880S, C880A, C880U, or C880D) printed underneath the back cover or inside Settings > About phone.
- Install the MediaTek Preloader USB VCOM drivers on a Windows PC (Windows 10/11 requires disabling driver signature enforcement).
- Download SP Flash Tool v5.1524 or newer for MediaTek MT6735 devices.
- Use a reliable microUSB data cable and plug directly into a rear USB 2.0 motherboard port.
- Ensure the 2800mAh battery has at least 40% charge before starting the flash procedure.
- In SP Flash Tool, always flash in "Download Only" mode and uncheck Preloader unless recovering a completely unresponsive hard brick.
Compatibility & Bootloader Notes
Factory MediaTek MT6735 BROM flashing via SP Flash Tool communicates directly with internal eMMC storage in Preloader mode without requiring bootloader unlocking. OTA update packages install through stock recovery.
Ready to Flash This Firmware?
Full step-by-step instructions for ZTE Blade A1, including prerequisites, error fixes, and screenshots, are on FlashGuideHub's SP Flash Tool guide.
Can also be flashed via Local Update (On-Device): Open Local Update (On-Device) Guide →
Frequently Asked Questions
All four share the same MediaTek MT6735 chipset, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage, and 5.0-inch 720p display, but differ in RF front-end band filters and baseband firmware: C880S is tailored for China Mobile (TD-LTE / TD-SCDMA), C880A and C880U are designed for China Unicom (FDD-LTE / WCDMA), and C880D includes CDMA/EVDO baseband support for China Telecom. Flashing the wrong variant firmware can disable cellular network connectivity.
Cross-flashing modem partitions across C880 variants is not recommended through full firmware flashing. Doing so can cause partition layout mismatch errors (PMT changed) in SP Flash Tool and may result in an unbootable state or corrupted NVRAM/IMEI. Band modifications should only be done via qualified modem patches if supported by hardware RF filters.
This occurs when the partition table in the scatter file differs from the layout currently recorded in the device eMMC (PMT). To resolve this without erasing your NVRAM calibration data, switch the drop-down mode in SP Flash Tool from "Download Only" to "Firmware Upgrade". Never use "Format All + Download" unless you have a full verified NVRAM backup, as formatting wipes factory calibration and IMEI numbers.
Copy the downloaded update.zip file directly to the root directory of a FAT32-formatted microSD card. Insert the card into your ZTE Blade A1, power off the device, and press and hold Volume Up + Power until the recovery menu appears. Use the volume buttons to highlight "apply update from sdcard", select the update.zip file, and press Power to confirm.