Ubuntu 26.10 Moves to Linux 7.3
- Ubuntu 26.10 “Stonking Stingray” will ship with Linux 7.3, replacing the previously planned Linux 7.2 kernel.
- Canonical revised its target because the upstream Linux 7.1 and 7.2 development cycles had no delays, making Linux 7.3 feasible within Ubuntu’s schedule.
- The main motivation is to provide newer upstream features and improved support for the latest hardware.
Development Status
- Canonical is enabling Ubuntu-specific features on top of Linux 7.3.
- Linux 7.3 has moved from Ubuntu’s
-proposedarchive toward the regular Ubuntu 26.10 archive. - It is being integrated ahead of the Ubuntu 26.10 beta.
Release-Timing Issue
- Ubuntu 26.10 release: October 15, 2026
- Kernel freeze: October 1
- Expected Linux 7.3 stable release: October 18, or October 25 if another release candidate is required.
- Therefore, Ubuntu 26.10’s initial ISO is expected to use a pre-release Linux 7.3 kernel snapshot, with stable updates following afterward.
Why Canonical Is Doing This
Because Ubuntu 26.10 is not an LTS release, Canonical is taking a more aggressive approach to tracking the newest upstream kernel, prioritizing new features, hardware enablement, and recent kernel improvements over the more conservative kernel selection typical of LTS releases.
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