The Raspberry Pi OS has been updated, transitioning from the Linux 6.12 kernel to the newer Linux 6.18 Long-Term Support (LTS) kernel. This software update delivers measurable performance gains for the latest Raspberry Pi hardware, demonstrating how open-source maintenance can extend the capability of existing devices without any physical changes.
Benchmarks conducted by Phoronix on a Raspberry Pi 5 (500+ model) revealed clear, modest improvements across several workloads following the OS update, which also included other package upgrades. These performance benefits stem directly from kernel optimizations, driver enhancements, and the maturation of the underlying Linux software stack.
For users, this represents a free performance uplift, extracting more speed and efficiency from the existing Raspberry Pi 5 silicon purely through software refinement. The move also highlights the strategic value of adopting an LTS kernel, which provides a stable and secure foundation receiving extended maintenance—a critical factor for both hobbyist projects and commercial deployments.
By aligning with a more recent LTS kernel, the Raspberry Pi Foundation ensures its community benefits promptly from global open-source development advances. This proactive update cadence helps maximize the longevity and capability of the hardware through software.
A detailed breakdown of the performance differences across various computing tasks is available in the original benchmark report from Phoronix.
樹莓派作業系統已更新，從 Linux 6.12 核心過渡至更新的 Linux 6.18 長期支援（LTS）核心。此次軟件更新為最新樹莓派硬件帶來了可衡量的效能提升，展示了開放源碼維護如何在無需任何物理改動的情況下，擴展現有設備的能力。
Phoronix 在樹莓派 5（500+ 型號）上進行的基準測試顯示，作業系統更新（同時包含其他軟件包升級）後，多項工作負載均出現明顯但適度的效能改進。這些效能益處直接源於核心優化、驅動程式增強，以及底層 Linux 軟件堆棧的成熟。
對用戶而言，這代表著一次免費的效能提升，純粹通過軟件優化，從現有的樹莓派 5 晶片中榨取更多速度與效率。此舉也凸顯了採用 LTS 核心的策略價值，它提供了穩定且安全的基礎，並獲得長期維護支持——這對業餘愛好者項目及商業部署均是關鍵因素。
透過對接更新的 LTS 核心，樹莓派基金會確保其社群能及時受益於全球開放源碼發展的進步。這種積極的更新節奏有助於透過軟件最大化硬件的使用壽命和能力。
各項計算任務的性能差異詳細分析，請參閱 Phoronix 原始的基準測試報告。