First Look at Ubuntu 26.04 and Here's What Shocked Me
A first look at Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed Resolute Raccoon, in plain words: GNOME 50 running on Wayland only, the Linux 7.0 kernel, Rust-based system tools and TPM-backed disk encryption — and an honest answer to who should upgrade and who should wait.
📑Chapters
- First look at Ubuntu 26.04 LTS — the new Resolute Raccoon release
- The desktop tour — GNOME 50 running on Wayland only
- Under the hood — the Linux 7.0 kernel
- Rust-based system tools in this release
- TPM-backed full disk encryption at install time
- Who should upgrade to 26.04 right away
- Who should wait before upgrading
- The verdict — the change that shocked him most
📋 Overview & First-Look Walkthrough
A New LTS Arrives — Ubuntu 26.04 "Resolute Raccoon"
Ubuntu 26.04 is the new Long Term Support (LTS) release, codenamed Resolute Raccoon. LTS releases are the ones most home users and offices actually settle on, because they receive years of security updates instead of a short interim cycle. In the video, Technical Anshu boots the new release and goes through it in plain words — what is new on the surface, what has changed under the hood, and the one change that shocked him most.
The Desktop — GNOME 50, and Wayland Only
The desktop is GNOME 50, and the login session is Wayland only — there is no Xorg session to fall back to. Wayland is the modern display protocol: smoother rendering, better fractional scaling and better behaviour on high-refresh screens. This is the headline change of the release, and the one the first look spends its desktop tour on.
Under the Hood — Linux Kernel 7.0
The release runs on the Linux 7.0 kernel. A newer kernel mainly means wider, newer hardware support — recent CPUs, graphics cards, Wi-Fi adapters and laptops are more likely to work straight out of the box — together with the latest driver improvements and security fixes. On a new machine this is often the difference between everything working at first boot and a long session of hunting drivers by hand.
Rust-Based Tools Inside
Ubuntu continues shifting core system tools to versions written in Rust. Rust is a memory-safe language, so a utility rewritten in it removes whole classes of memory bugs — the kind of flaws that so often turn into security holes. For everyday use these tools behave like the ones they replace; the real change is the long-term safety and maintainability of the system itself.
TPM-Backed Disk Encryption
The installer offers TPM-backed full disk encryption: the disk is encrypted and its key is sealed to the PC's TPM chip, so the machine unlocks at boot without a separate disk password every time — while the data on the drive stays unreadable if the disk is pulled out and read somewhere else.
Who Should Upgrade
Upgrade now if you are setting up a new PC or doing a fresh install anyway, if you run recent hardware that needs the new kernel's support, or if you are coming from an older interim release. Because 26.04 is an LTS, landing on it means settling on a release that stays supported for years. The safe route in is a live USB session or a spare machine first, so you can confirm your hardware and apps behave before it becomes your main system.
Who Should Wait
There is no rush if your work machine runs perfectly on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS — it stays supported for years, and waiting for the first point release, 26.04.1, lets the early bugs get fixed before you move. Waiting is also the right call if a tool you depend on has not caught up with Wayland yet, or if your routine depends on encryption behaviour you have not yet tested on a spare machine.
The Verdict
Ubuntu 26.04 is not a cosmetic refresh. Wayland-only GNOME 50, the Linux 7.0 kernel, Rust-based system tools and TPM-backed encryption together make it a clear generational step — and that combination is exactly what shocked him in the first look. Watch the full video above for the live tour and his complete reaction, then decide with the upgrade and wait guidance above.
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🎙️ Full Transcript — tap to expand
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide & Solutions - HERE'S WHAT SHOCKED ME. On-screen demonstration by Technical Anshu.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Resolute Raccoon first look in plain words. GNOME 50 with Wayland only, Linux kernel 7.0, Rust based tools, TPM encryption, who should upgrade and who should wait.
(transcript ends here on the source page)
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