Introduction
This guide describes a tested method for running Android, Armbian, and Ubuntu on the same NVMe SSD of the Orange Pi 5 Plus.
This is not an official Orange Pi installation procedure. The entire workflow was developed through extensive real-world testing.
The following configuration has been successfully verified:
✅ Android boots from the NVMe SSD.
✅ Armbian boots from the same NVMe SSD via UEFI.
✅ Ubuntu boots from the same NVMe SSD via UEFI.
✅ All three operating systems coexist on a single NVMe SSD.
✅ Armbian and Ubuntu share the same EFI partition.
✅ Android, Armbian, and Ubuntu can share a common data partition.
1. Requirements
Hardware
Orange Pi 5 Plus.
An NVMe SSD (the larger the better, and it must have a larger capacity than the eMMC to provide free space for Armbian and Ubuntu).
A 16GB or 32GB eMMC module (16GB recommended).
A microSD card for UEFI.
A PC/Laptop or an NVMe USB enclosure for partition management.
A microSD card can also be used instead of eMMC for Android, but a large-capacity card is not recommended because it reduces the available space for Linux on the NVMe SSD.
Software
Android ROM (tested and verified; the AGTV ROM can be flashed directly to the eMMC using rkdeveloptool).
Armbian.
Ubuntu.
UEFI image.
BalenaEtcher, Rufus, or any software capable of writing IMG files to a microSD card.
A partition manager such as GParted, DiskGenius, or MiniTool Partition Wizard.
2. Boot Method
Android
Android uses the standard Rockchip boot process.
Requirements:
The SPI flash must be empty or completely erased.
Android boots directly from the NVMe SSD.
Armbian and Ubuntu
Armbian and Ubuntu boot through UEFI.
Write the UEFI image to a microSD card.
Insert the microSD card whenever you want to boot Linux.
Both operating systems share the same EFI partition on the NVMe SSD.
3. NVMe Partition Layout
The NVMe SSD contains two groups of partitions.
Android
Keep all Android system partitions intact, for example:
boot
vendor_boot
dtbo
vbmeta
super
metadata
userdata
...
Do not modify any Android system partition.
Linux
Create the following additional partitions:
EFI
Armbian RootFS
Ubuntu RootFS
Data
The Data partition can be shared between Armbian and Ubuntu.
4. Preparing Android
Flash Android to the eMMC.
Boot Android and verify that everything works correctly.
Boot Armbian or Ubuntu from a microSD card or an external SSD (this Linux installation will later be used to copy its RootFS to the NVMe SSD after partitioning).
Back up the entire eMMC using the dd command.
Restore the Android image from the eMMC to the NVMe SSD using dd.
After this step, the NVMe SSD will contain the complete Android partition layout.
Since the NVMe SSD is larger than the eMMC:
The beginning of the NVMe SSD will contain all Android partitions.
The remaining space will remain Unallocated, which will later be used for the Linux partitions.
Next, erase all data on the eMMC and remove the eMMC module from the Orange Pi 5 Plus. Then power on the board and verify that Android boots successfully from the NVMe SSD. This confirms that the system is running entirely from the NVMe drive rather than from the eMMC.
5. Creating Space for Linux
Keep all Android partitions unchanged.
Using tool on either Windows or Linuxuse the Unallocated space located after the Android partitions, create the following partitions:
EFI (used to boot Armbian and Ubuntu through UEFI)
Armbian
Ubuntu
Data
6. Installing Armbian
Restore or copy the Armbian RootFS to the Armbian partition on the NVMe SSD.
Copy the EFI boot files to the EFI partition.
Update the UUIDs if necessary.
Verify that Armbian boots successfully through UEFI.
7. Installing Ubuntu
Restore or copy the Ubuntu RootFS to the Ubuntu partition on the NVMe SSD.
Copy the EFI boot files to the EFI partition.
Update the UUIDs if necessary.
Verify that Ubuntu boots successfully through UEFI.
8. Booting the Operating Systems
Boot Android
Remove the microSD card containing the UEFI bootloader.
Make sure the SPI flash is empty.
[7/10/2026 10:56 AM] Vũ Minh Tâm: The Orange Pi 5 Plus will boot Android directly from the NVMe SSD.
Boot Armbian or Ubuntu
Insert the microSD card containing the UEFI bootloader.
Select the desired operating system from the UEFI boot menu.
The selected Linux system will boot from its corresponding partition on the NVMe SSD.
9. Current Status
The following configuration has been successfully verified:
✅ Android running from the NVMe SSD.
✅ Armbian running from the NVMe SSD.
✅ Ubuntu running from the NVMe SSD.
✅ Armbian and Ubuntu share the same EFI partition.
✅ Android, Armbian, and Ubuntu can share a common Data partition (NTFS is recommended).
✅ Switching between Android and Linux only requires inserting or removing the microSD card.
10. Notes
This method has only been tested on the Orange Pi 5 Plus.
It is based entirely on real-world testing and is not an official Orange Pi installation procedure.
Some adjustments may be required when using different firmware versions, bootloaders, or hardware revisions.
It is strongly recommended to back up both the eMMC and the NVMe SSD before modifying the partition layout.
11. Discussion
If you have successfully implemented a similar setup or know of a simpler approach, feel free to share your experience. Any suggestions or improvements are welcome and will help make this guide even better.
Introduction This guide describes a tested method for running Android, Armbian, and Ubuntu on the same NVMe SSD of the Orange Pi 5 Plus. This is not an official Orange Pi installation procedure. The entire workflow was developed through extensive real-world testing. The following configuration has been successfully verified: ✅ Android boots from the NVMe SSD. ✅ Armbian boots from the same NVMe SSD via UEFI. ✅ Ubuntu boots from the same NVMe SSD via UEFI. ✅ All three operating systems coexist on a single NVMe SSD. ✅ Armbian and Ubuntu share the same EFI partition. ✅ Android, Armbian, and Ubuntu can share a common data partition. 1. Requirements Hardware Orange Pi 5 Plus. An NVMe SSD (the larger the better, and it must have a larger capacity than the eMMC to provide free space for Armbian and Ubuntu). A 16GB or 32GB eMMC module (16GB recommended). A microSD card for UEFI. A PC/Laptop or an NVMe USB enclosure for partition management. A microSD card can also be used instead of eMMC for Android, but a large-capacity card is not recommended because it reduces the available space for Linux on the NVMe SSD. Software Android ROM (tested and verified; the AGTV ROM can be flashed directly to the eMMC using rkdeveloptool). Armbian. Ubuntu. UEFI image. BalenaEtcher, Rufus, or any software capable of writing IMG files to a microSD card. A partition manager such as GParted, DiskGenius, or MiniTool Partition Wizard. 2. Boot Method Android Android uses the standard Rockchip boot process. Requirements: The SPI flash must be empty or completely erased. Android boots directly from the NVMe SSD. Armbian and Ubuntu Armbian and Ubuntu boot through UEFI. Write the UEFI image to a microSD card. Insert the microSD card whenever you want to boot Linux. Both operating systems share the same EFI partition on the NVMe SSD. 3. NVMe Partition Layout The NVMe SSD contains two groups of partitions. Android Keep all Android system partitions intact, for example: boot vendor_boot dtbo vbmeta super metadata userdata ... Do not modify any Android system partition. Linux Create the following additional partitions: EFI Armbian RootFS Ubuntu RootFS Data The Data partition can be shared between Armbian and Ubuntu. 4. Preparing Android Flash Android to the eMMC. Boot Android and verify that everything works correctly. Boot Armbian or Ubuntu from a microSD card or an external SSD (this Linux installation will later be used to copy its RootFS to the NVMe SSD after partitioning). Back up the entire eMMC using the dd command. Restore the Android image from the eMMC to the NVMe SSD using dd. After this step, the NVMe SSD will contain the complete Android partition layout. Since the NVMe SSD is larger than the eMMC: The beginning of the NVMe SSD will contain all Android partitions. The remaining space will remain Unallocated, which will later be used for the Linux partitions. Next, erase all data on the eMMC and remove the eMMC module from the Orange Pi 5 Plus. Then power on the board and verify that Android boots successfully from the NVMe SSD. This confirms that the system is running entirely from the NVMe drive rather than from the eMMC. 5. Creating Space for Linux Keep all Android partitions unchanged. Using tool on either Windows or Linuxuse the Unallocated space located after the Android partitions, create the following partitions: EFI (used to boot Armbian and Ubuntu through UEFI) Armbian Ubuntu Data 6. Installing Armbian Restore or copy the Armbian RootFS to the Armbian partition on the NVMe SSD. Copy the EFI boot files to the EFI partition. Update the UUIDs if necessary. Verify that Armbian boots successfully through UEFI. 7. Installing Ubuntu Restore or copy the Ubuntu RootFS to the Ubuntu partition on the NVMe SSD. Copy the EFI boot files to the EFI partition. Update the UUIDs if necessary. Verify that Ubuntu boots successfully through UEFI. 8. Booting the Operating Systems Boot Android Remove the microSD card containing the UEFI bootloader. Make sure the SPI flash is empty. [7/10/2026 10:56 AM] Vũ Minh Tâm: The Orange Pi 5 Plus will boot Android directly from the NVMe SSD. Boot Armbian or Ubuntu Insert the microSD card containing the UEFI bootloader. Select the desired operating system from the UEFI boot menu. The selected Linux system will boot from its corresponding partition on the NVMe SSD. 9. Current Status The following configuration has been successfully verified: ✅ Android running from the NVMe SSD. ✅ Armbian running from the NVMe SSD. ✅ Ubuntu running from the NVMe SSD. ✅ Armbian and Ubuntu share the same EFI partition. ✅ Android, Armbian, and Ubuntu can share a common Data partition (NTFS is recommended). ✅ Switching between Android and Linux only requires inserting or removing the microSD card. 10. Notes This method has only been tested on the Orange Pi 5 Plus. It is based entirely on real-world testing and is not an official Orange Pi installation procedure. Some adjustments may be required when using different firmware versions, bootloaders, or hardware revisions. It is strongly recommended to back up both the eMMC and the NVMe SSD before modifying the partition layout. 11. Discussion If you have successfully implemented a similar setup or know of a simpler approach, feel free to share your experience. Any suggestions or improvements are welcome and will help make this guide even better.