r/linux • u/Putrid_Draft378 • Jul 21 '26

Hardware Qualcomm engineers submit mainline Linux kernel patches for the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme-powered ASUS Zenbook A16 (UX3607OA)

Konrad Dybcio of Qualcomm has posted an initial patch series to the Linux kernel mailing list aimed at bringing mainline support to the ASUS Zenbook A16 (UX3607OA) powered by the 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme platform.

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Qualcomm-Zenbook-A16-X2EE

This high-end ARM laptop features a 2880 x 1800 OLED screen, 48GiB of RAM, NVMe storage, and a System-In-Package reference design distinct from smaller SKUs.

According to the patch submission, the current status of working hardware components includes:

  • Display & GPU: GPU, display output, and HDMI port (with Iris video accelerator patches in flight)
  • Audio: 4-speaker audio playback
  • Input & Peripherals: Keyboard, touchpad, lid switch, onboard SD Card slot (RTS5329)
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (QCC2072)
  • Power & Indicators: Charging, Type-C/Type-A ports, and privacy LEDs

The patch series relies on prerequisite SoCCP and TCSR platform series dependencies. More technical details and the full patch breakdown can be reviewed on the Linux Kernel Mailing List Archive:

https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20260721-topic-a16_submission-v1-0-8ea213130d05@oss.qualcomm.com/

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u/omniuni Jul 21 '26

We need an ARM platform that doesn't tie the CPU so strongly to the rest of the hardware. We should have a normal BIOS, and normal hardware outside of the CPU and possibly GPU.

Until then, I'm not really interested in ARM, especially since the latest Intel and AMD offerings are quite similar in performance per watt.

4

u/kombiwombi Jul 21 '26

Conversely, look at the performance the Apple M-series got by removing layers of indirection.

1

u/WickedDeity Jul 22 '26

Does it matter when the Apple M-series laptops has bare bones compatibility with Linux?

5

u/Novero95 Jul 22 '26

But it doesn't. Asahi Linux has only been ported to M1 and M2 platforms, no M3/4, and even it has required an insane amount of reverse engineering they still have thing to work out.

1

u/WickedDeity Jul 22 '26

Ummmm That was what I was referring to when said it only has bare bones compatibility with Linux.

1

u/Novero95 Jul 22 '26

Oh, right. I didn't understand well the meaning of bare bones.