Canonical has released a test build of Ubuntu 26.10 with early support for laptops using Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 chips.
The new preview ISO is built on the Ubuntu 26.10 Beta and Canonical’s Tobias Heider says the aim is to find bugs in the upcoming release early and get feedback from users. He expects ‘most’ of the work will be present in the final release, out 15 October.
Among new X2-powered devices able to run the Ubuntu 26.10 Snapdragon Concept image are the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (gen 11), HP EliteBook X G2q and the ASUS Zenbook A14/A16.
Ubuntu’s support for Snapdragon X1 devices has also expanded. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and HONOR MagicBook Art 14 laptops and the Lenovo Ideacentre Mini 01q8x10 mini PC are among those now covered.
Improvements abound as Ubuntu 26.10 uses Linux 7.3 – a leap over the 7.0 kernel in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS – and mainline support for Snapdragon X Elite devices has matured over recent kernels.
What are Ubuntu Concept images?
Ubuntu Concept images are experimental hardware-specific Ubuntu ISOs that Canonical makes available for testing periodically. They aren’t released to a fixed schedule, don’t get the same amount of testing as other images and are not ‘officially’ supported.
If you own a compatible device and want to try it, download the stonking concept image to flash to a USB, and use it to boot. Just don’t expect a flawless experience. Some features need firmware extracted from a Windows install using qcom-firmware-extract.
As with other Ubuntu Concept images, you get no formal support from Canonical, but lots of unofficial help and advice from fellow testers. You should file bugs on Launchpad against the ubuntu-concept project and include your laptop model.
Next year is set to see Ubuntu’s Snapdragon support step up a gear. Canonical says it’s working with Qualcomm to create an official certified image for X2-based devices.