Ubuntu 26.10 arrives with 10 official flavors

Ubuntu 26.10, codenamed “Stonking Stingray,” was released on October 15, 2026, alongside ten official flavors. Ubuntu says the release receives nine months of maintenance, through July 2027; an upgrade offer for an existing installation may arrive several days after the release itself. The Ubuntu Release Team’s announcement confirms the release date and flavor count, while Ubuntu’s release notes give the support period.

Ten flavors, with different desktop environments

The official flavors let you choose a different desktop while staying within the Ubuntu release family. Marcus Nestor’s report for 9to5Linux maps each flavor to its desktop environment and version:

That gives you a quick way to narrow the field: start with the desktop you want, then check the flavor’s specific tools and workflow. 9to5Linux also reports selected changes: Ubuntu Budgie includes a Radio widget with more than 1,000 internet stations, while Ubuntu Unity includes Lomiri Calculator, Files, and Terminal by default. Ubuntu Cinnamon has updated Yaru theme variants, and Ubuntu MATE uses netplan and dracut by default in place of ifupdown and initramfs-tools.

Maintenance runs through July 2027

Ubuntu 26.10 is an interim release, not an LTS edition. Ubuntu specifies nine months of maintenance for 26.10 and its accompanying flavors, through July 2027. That shorter support window is an important part of the choice: if you want a release with a longer support commitment, 26.10 is not Ubuntu’s LTS option. Ubuntu’s release notes provide the support details.

Why an upgrade prompt may come later

A released installation image and an in-place upgrade offer are separate steps. Ubuntu’s desktop upgrade guide says offers for interim releases typically appear several days after the official release. Ubuntu 26.04 users also need to have selected notifications for all releases to be offered the automatic upgrade to 26.10, according to the release announcement.

Ubuntu documents sequential upgrade paths: from one LTS release to the next, or from one interim release to the next. For an available upgrade, its guide documents sudo do-release-upgrade. Before proceeding, Ubuntu recommends backing up your data, installing pending updates, and checking the release notes. The separate --devel-release option targets a development release; Ubuntu warns that this route is unsupported and may break the system. See Ubuntu’s upgrade guide.

The kernel package in the release image

Ubuntu’s release notes identify the 26.10 image’s kernel package as 7.3.0-9.9, based on upstream Linux 7.3-rc6. The package revision gives a more precise description of the kernel in the release image than the broad “Linux 7.3” label.

For context on how the release took shape, read NeoTeo’s earlier coverage of the Ubuntu 26.10 beta.

Hardware and upgrade issues to check

Ubuntu’s release notes list possible display freezes on some AMD dual-GPU laptops, firmware crashes and dropped Wi-Fi connections on some Intel AX211 systems, and a keyboard issue on some Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops. They also flag upgrade risks involving dangling /lib32 symlinks and certain uncommon /boot configurations. If one of those hardware or boot setups applies to your computer, read the relevant release-note entry before upgrading.