If you haven't heard the news, Canonical has officially released Ubuntu 25.10. This is the latest version in the Ubuntu release cycle. As most of us know, Ubuntu pushes out a new version every six months. This is usually one in April and one in October. Then every two years they deliver an LTS (Long Term Support) release. Since Ubuntu 24.04 was an LTS, 25.10 is the next interim version toward the next big one, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS coming next year.
This release updates the GNOME desktop experience, and refines moving to modern tech stacks. Under the hood, Ubuntu 25.10 ships with Linux kernel 6.11. It also has improved power efficiency for laptops and ARM-based systems, and better performance on Ryzen and Intel Core Ultra chips. Canonical has also been doing work with Snap updates to improve reliability and launch times.
One of the big quality-of-life updates with this release is improved Wayland session stability. Also it has enhanced support for NVIDIA and AMD GPUs. Many users who had to stick to Xorg for a long while will find Wayland much more usable now. This is the case even for multi-monitor and hybrid graphics setups. On the server side, Ubuntu 25.10 brings updated containers tools. These include with Podman, Docker, and LXD. All of these are getting the latest updates which will make it a great release for home labbers and those who are working with DevOps stacks.
The installer continues to change and evolve too. It now has a Flutter-based Ubuntu installer that is smoother and faster. It has better feedback during setup and Canonical seems like it is heads down on improving the user experience. These are improvements that have been a long while coming but are finally getting upgraded both in desktop and server builds.
For developers, Ubuntu 25.10 has updated Python 3.13, GCC 14, and OpenSSL 3.3 libraries. There are also newer base images for container builds. This makes it a good choice if you’re testing against the latest toolchains or building portable environments.
It’s also worth mentioning the Ubuntu flavors like Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu Server 25.10. These will all have their own updates, from Plasma 6 improvements in Kubuntu to newer desktop tweaks in Xubuntu.
If you’re on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, there is definitely not a need to rush into upgrading. LTS versions will continue to receive updates and are still the best choice for production or long-term use in the home lab. But if you’re like me and enjoy experimenting and breaking things with the latest Linux builds, 25.10 looks to be a fun release to try out while we wait for 26.04 LTS next April.
You can check out the official release info and downloads here: https://ubuntu.com/download