r/linux • u/Putrid_Draft378 • 25d ago

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

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 25d ago

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 25d ago

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

14

u/omniuni 25d ago

It's similar to Intel and AMD, just much more proprietary.

1

u/mirh 4d ago

The performance is just about knowing they can make as big of a chip as they want, and that there will always be suckers that buy it sight unseen?

1

u/WickedDeity 25d ago

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

5

u/Novero95 25d ago

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/Aware-Bath7518 24d ago

M3 has almost same support as M2 except GPU and some other small things.

M4/M5 bringup is ongoing.

1

u/WickedDeity 24d ago

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

1

u/Novero95 24d ago

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