Editor's note: The following preview is based on reporting by Phoronix (source). Our editorial team was unable to independently render or corroborate the original page at the time of publication; all version numbers and feature claims below are attributed to that source and should be read in that light.
According to Phoronix, the Linux 7.3 kernel is expected to be tagged stable imminently, with a substantial batch of fixes and improvements reaching users on ordinary update cycles. The bigger story for hardware enthusiasts begins immediately after: the 7.4 merge window is expected to open, and Phoronix's preview coverage points to a cycle that could be one of the more consequential ones in recent memory for AMD and Apple Silicon users alike.
Three items stand out in Phoronix's reported merge set: Radeon HDMI 2.1 output support enabled by default rather than as a build-time or boot-time opt-in, continued AMD performance optimisation work across CPU and GPU code paths, and Apple M4 SoC support landing in the mainline tree.
Radeon HDMI 2.1 moves from opt-in to default
For years, getting HDMI 2.1 output working with Radeon graphics on Linux has meant explicitly enabling support that ships disabled. The change now expected in 7.4 would flip that default, meaning users connecting a Radeon GPU to a modern television or high-refresh monitor over HDMI should get HDMI 2.1 capabilities without touching kernel configuration. The move removes a long-standing friction point and is the kind of change that rarely makes headlines but quietly improves the out-of-box experience for a large group of users.
AMD optimisation work continues
The 7.4 cycle is also shaping up to include further AMD performance work. Phoronix's preview indicates this spans both CPU-side and graphics-side improvements — a continuation of the incremental tuning that has characterised recent kernel cycles rather than a single headline feature. Teams running AMD hardware in development workstations and CI fleets are the primary beneficiaries of this class of change, which tends to accumulate value across successive releases even when no single patch stands out.
Apple M4 support expected to land
Perhaps the most-watched item in Phoronix's preview is expected Apple M4 SoC support. Mainline Linux support for Apple Silicon has progressed generation by generation, and 7.4 is expected to be the cycle where M4 hardware gains initial functionality. It is worth noting that "support" in this context typically means early-stage enablement — enough for the community and distribution vendors to begin real-world testing — rather than a fully polished desktop experience on day one.
Why this cycle matters now
For developers and IT teams here in Hong Kong and elsewhere running mixed hardware fleets — AMD desktops and notebooks alongside a growing share of Apple Silicon Macs — a single kernel cycle expected to advance both platforms carries practical planning implications. Organisations that maintain hardware compatibility matrices or pin kernel versions for stability should watch the 7.4 merge window closely, since the feature set emerging from it will shape which hardware is realistically supported on next year's LTS and distro-shipped kernels.
A pre-merge-window caveat
One caveat applies to all of the above: this is a pre-merge-window preview based on Phoronix's reporting, and the final scope of 7.4 can shift as maintainers review and, in some cases, defer patches. Nothing here should be treated as shipping until it is actually merged. That said, if the expected changes land as described, Linux 7.4 is on track to be a release that AMD and Apple users alike have specific reasons to upgrade for — a position the kernel has not always been in.
**編按：**以下預覽文章依據 Phoronix 的報道（原文）撰寫。本報編輯部在刊出時未能獨立轉換或核實原網頁內容；下文所載的版本號碼及功能聲稱均引述該來源，讀者宜據此理解。
據 Phoronix 報導，Linux 7.3 kernel 預料即將標記為 stable（穩定版本），隨後一批相當數量的修訂和改進將透過一般更新渠道送達用戶。對硬件愛好者而言，更大的消息隨即展開：7.4 merge window（合併視窗）預料將會開放，而 Phoronix 的預覽報道指出，這個開發周期對 AMD 和 Apple Silicon 用戶來說，可能是近年其中一個影響最為深遠的周期。
Phoronix 報導的合併內容中有三項尤為突出：Radeon HDMI 2.1 輸出支援由編譯時或開機時的選擇性啟用，改為預設啟用；AMD 持續在 CPU 和 GPU 代碼路徑上的性能優化工作；以及 Apple M4 SoC 支援正式納入 mainline（主線）代碼樹。
Radeon HDMI 2.1 由選擇性啟用改為預設啟用
多年以來，在 Linux 上透過 Radeon 顯示卡使用 HDMI 2.1 輸出，一直需要用戶明確啟用出廠時預設關閉的支援功能。如今預料將在 7.4 採用的變更會扭轉這一預設值，意味著用戶透過 HDMI 將 Radeon GPU 連接至現代電視或高刷新率顯示器時，毋須調整 kernel 配置即可獲得 HDMI 2.1 功能。此舉移除了一個長期存在的障礙，屬於那類鮮少成為頭條、卻默默改善大量用戶開箱體驗的改進。
AMD 優化工作持續進行
7.4 周期預料亦將包含進一步的 AMD 性能改進。Phoronix 的預覽指出，這涵蓋 CPU 端和顯示卡端的雙方面提升——是近期 kernel 周期一貫的漸進式調校延續，而非單一的旗艦功能。在開發工作站和 CI 機群中使用 AMD 硬件的團隊，是這類改動的主要受益者；即使個別 patch 未見突出，這類改進往往會在連續多個版本中累積其價值。
Apple M4 支援預料即將登場
Phoronix 預覽中最受矚目的項目，或許正是預期中的 Apple M4 SoC 支援。mainline Linux 對 Apple Silicon 的支援一直逐代推進，而 7.4 預料將是 M4 硬件獲得初步功能的周期。值得留意的是，此處所指的「支援」通常意味著早期階段的啟用——足夠讓社群和發行版供應商開始進行實際測試——而非在推出首日即提供完全成熟的桌面體驗。
為何此周期對香港用戶尤其重要
對於本港及其他地區使用混合硬件機群的開發者和 IT 團隊——包括 AMD 桌面電腦和手提電腦，以及佔比日增的 Apple Silicon Mac——一個 kernel 周期同時推進兩大平台，對實際規劃具有一定影響。有責任維護硬件兼容性對照表，或為穩定性而固定 kernel 版本的機構，應密切留意 7.4 merge window，因為從中產生的功能組合將決定明年 LTS 及各發行版 kernel 實際支援哪些硬件。
合併前的注意事項
以上各項均須附帶一項注意：這是 merge window 之前的預覽，依據 Phoronix 的報道；7.4 的最終範圍可能隨著維護者審核 patch、以至在某些情況下推遲 patch 而有所變動。在實際合併之前，任何項目都不應被視為已正式採納。話雖如此，若預期的變更如所述般落實，Linux 7.4 有望成為一個 AMD 和 Apple 用戶均有具體理由升級的版本——kernel 未必經常處於這一位置。