Experience a new level of performance and design with Ubuntu 25.04 “Plucky Puffin”, with features GNOME 48, HDR support, the powerful Linux 6.14 kernel, devpacks for developers, enhanced dual-boot tools, and expanded confidential computing.
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Released on April 17, 2025, Ubuntu 25.04 “Plucky Puffin” is Canonical’s latest short-term release, backed with 9 months of support and filled with cutting-edge updates in the desktop, kernel, development tools, and hardware support.Whether you are a gamer, developer, or simply a Linux fan, this release provides arefined, performance-driven experience.
GNOME 48: A Smarter, Sleeker Desktop
Ubuntu 25.04 arrives with the refined GNOME 48 desktop, refining the user interface with:
- Triple buffering for smoother animation and less screen tearing.
- HDR support, controllable through Settings for rich color output on supported displays.
- Wellbeing Panel, introducing screen-time monitoring and a new Preserve Battery Health mode to maximize charging cycles.
- A simpler Settings app and more intelligent notification grouping for improved usability.
Linux Kernel 6.14: Innovation Meets Performance
Driven by Linux 6.14, Ubuntu 25.04 includes:
- sched_ext, Canonical’s eBPF-based hot-swappable scheduler framework.
- NTSYNC, a kernel driver simulating Windows NT synchronization primitives, which improves performance in Wine/Steam Play gaming.
- GPU Gains: Complete support for Intel Arc Xe and AMD Battlemage GPUs, which unleashes 2–4× accelerated ray tracing in Blender 4.2+.
- NVIDIA Dynamic Boost enabled by default to ensure efficient CPU–GPU power-sharing.
Devpacks: Ready-to-Code Environments
Canonical announces “devpacks”, ready-to-code pre-configured toolchains for smooth development. The first release includes:
- Spring devpack (Spring 6.1/6.2, Spring Boot 3.3/3.4).
- Future packs for Go, Rust, Python,.NET, LLVM, and others.
- Updated core toolchains: GCC 14, Python 3.12, OpenJDK 21.
Bid adieu to dependency conflicts and setup headaches.
Installer & Networking Enhancements
Installing Ubuntu has never been easier:
- “Replace Ubuntu” option for clean reinstalls.
- Improved support for BitLocker-encrypted Windows partitions for effortless dual-booting.
- Support for Dracut as an experimental initramfs choice.
- Enhanced Netplan networking with DNS-aware “wait-online” and WPA‑PSK‑SHA256 Wi-Fi encryption support.
Confidential Computing & Security Upgrades
Ubuntu 25.04 respects privacy:
- AMD SEV‑SNP host support, allowing encrypted VMs even on-premise, built-in through QEMU 9.2.
- Continued support for Intel TDX guests.
- systemd v257.4 for enhanced time-sync security.
- Elimination of legacy tools like utmp, providing a linear system.
ARM64 ISO & Official Variants
Plucky Puffin releases a special ARM64 Desktop ISO, making Ubuntu installations on AArch64 VMs and ARM laptops easy.
All official Ubuntu variants arrive in harmony:
- Kubuntu 25.04 with Plasma 6.3.
- Ubuntu MATE with MATE 1.x, LibreOffice 25.2.2.
- Other variants: Xubuntu, Budgie, Studio, Unity, Cinnamon, Kylin—all benefit from 25.04’s fundamental improvements.
“Papers” Replaces Evince
A subtle but notable change—Ubuntu 25.04 replaces Evince with the upstream “Papers” PDF reader, offering better performance and a modern interface for document viewing.
Who Should Upgrade?
Ubuntu 25.04 is perfect for:
- Gamers: Due to NTSYNC and GPU support.
- Developers: With devpacks and newest toolchains.
- Enthusiasts: For GNOME 48, HDR, and performance refinement.
- Dual-booters: For BitLocker support and more seamless installs.
Upgrade Paths:
- Ubuntu 24.10 users: Seamless In-place upgrade.
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS users: Wait for 26.04, unless the new features are too enticing to resist.
Final Verdict: Ubuntu at Its Most Polished
“Plucky Puffin” is not just another interim release—it’s a glimpse of what Linux can become: speedy, secure, developer-friendly, and visually polished. From under-the-hood kernel enhancements to visible desktop polish, Ubuntu 25.04 gets it all right.
Ready to give it a go?
Download today from the official Ubuntu website and join the future of Linux.