Writing this post mostly so that I remember how to do it again later.
For some time now, the Creality Ender 3 printer is being shipped with the V4.2.2 32-bit board - with a bootloader. This means that upgrading the firmware involves just booting up the machine with a new firmware.bin file, and you no longer need to wire it up to an Arduino or what not.
Step 0: Make sure the board inside is V4.2.2
Unscrew the left panel. The board inside should have its version written on top of it.
Step 1: Install prerequisites
Install VS Code if you don't have it installed already and the PlatformIO IDE VS Code extension. Download the zip file with latest release of the Marlin firmware and the corresponding config files.
Step 2: Download the firmware
In the downloaded folder with the config files, find the config\examples\Creality\Ender-3\CrealityV422 subfolder. This naming may change depending on the version - look for the name of your printer and the name of the board. Copy all the files into the Marlin subfolder inside the other downloaded folder with the Marlin firmware - overwrite the previous config files there.
Step 3: Prepare the firmware.bin file
Launch VSCode in the folder with the Marlin firmware and open the platformio.ini file. Set the value of default_envs to STM32F103RET6_creality (for example default_envs = atmega2560 to default_envs = STM32F103RET6_creality).
Step 4: Add auto-leveling
Open the Configuration.h file and uncomment (remove the preceding \\) the following definitions:
#define MESH_BED_LEVELING#define LCD_BED_LEVELING#define RESTORE_LEVELING_AFTER_G28
Step 5: Build the firmware.bin file
Click the check mark in the bottom left corner (PlatformIO: Build) or find the PlatformIO: Build command in the command palette (ctrl + shift + P).
Step 6: Flash the firmware
If the build succeeded, go to the folder with the Marlin firmware and find the .pio\build\STM32F103RET6_creality subfolder. Copy the firmware-[timestamp].bin file into the empty SD card. Turn off your printer, insert the SD card, and turn it on. After a few seconds, the splash screen should appear and the firmware should be successfully updated.
Troubleshooting
If you're getting an error about the eeprom version error, choose Ignore, and in the printer settings choose "Store settings".
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