The much-anticipated Linux 6.5 kernel is not yet officially released, but it’s practically confirmed to be included in the upcoming Ubuntu “Mantic Minotaur” version. The current daily builds of Ubuntu 23.10 are already using Linux 6.3.
Linux 6.5 is expected to be released sometime between mid and late August. However, since Ubuntu 23.10’s kernel freeze begins on September 28, there won’t be enough time to incorporate the upcoming Linux 6.6 version. But this turns out to be a good thing, as Linux 6.5 comes with numerous improvements and enhancements compared to the older Linux 6.2 kernel used in Ubuntu 23.04.
Tailored optimizations
The version of the kernel that Ubuntu will ship includes some extra benefits, like tailored optimizations for desktop performance using the low latency kernel, and multi-gen LRT page reclaiming enabled by default (which Fedora and Arch Linux already have, and openSUSE and Debian plan to add).
If you’re using the Ubuntu 23.10 daily builds, you can get a sneak peek at this new kernel by installing an experimental build from Canonical’s Unstable Kernel Builds PPA. Just keep in mind the usual cautions that come with using unstable software. The official integration of this kernel into Ubuntu 23.10 development builds will happen very soon.
Even long-term support users will benefit from this update, as the kernel version included in Ubuntu 23.10 will be back-ported to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS in the future.
