Ubuntu 26.10 Makes a Surprise Jump to the Linux 7.3 Kernel

Canonical's kernel team has handed users a pleasant surprise: the upcoming Ubuntu 26.10 release (codenamed Stonking Stingray) will be built on the Linux 7.3 kernel rather than 7.2, as originally planned.

Back in May, the developers had announced that the October update would get Linux 7.2 — in line with the scheme in place at the time, under which the release ships with the newest major kernel from upstream. In early September, however, a post appeared on Discourse about a revised kernel target, which initially went unnoticed. Now Linux 7.3 is already landing on test machines via sudo apt dist-upgrade.

Why the plans changed

The reason is simple: the development cycles for Linux 7.1 and 7.2 went off without delays, and 7.3-rc1 had already been released by the time the decision was made. That gave the Canonical team enough confidence to "raise the bar" and aim for a newer version. According to the developers, moving to 7.3 lets them stay abreast of the latest upstream capabilities — above all when it comes to support for the most modern hardware — while still meeting the release schedule.

The team is currently working on layering all the Ubuntu-specific features on top of the upstream 7.3-rc1 kernel. A build will soon appear in the -proposed pocket for early testing, and the kernel itself is already migrating from the proposed archive into the main Ubuntu 26.10 archive — just ahead of next week's beta release.

Timeline and caveats

Ubuntu 26.10 is scheduled for release on October 15, with the kernel freeze set for October 1. This means the official ISO images at the time of the stable release will contain a preliminary version of the kernel. If Linux 7.3 ships on schedule, its release will take place on October 18; if an additional release candidate is needed, the date will slip to October 25.

Since 26.10 is not an LTS release, Canonical can afford to chase the newest upstream kernel version more aggressively — which is exactly what it is doing.

Source: Phoronix