Linux 7.4 SoC support: Apple M4, two Qualcomm chips, Pixel 10 and more — ItInsightsWorld

The mainline kernel has just absorbed a broad set of SoC patches in Linux 7.4, and this ItInsightsWorld briefing separates the platform changes from the board additions. The batch adds enablement for dozens of new motherboards, while bringing Apple M4 and the A18 Pro seen in MacBook Neo closer to upstream Linux, adding Google Tensor 5 and Pixel 10 devices, and accepting support tied to some unreleased Snapdragon chips.

Qualcomm: two new SoCs, 22 motherboards and seven handheld entries

Qualcomm alone is responsible for a sizable share of the work: two new SoCs and 22 enabled motherboards. The chips are identified by the codenames Hawi and Nord, and both use custom Oryon cores. Their commercial product names remain unknown, so this remains early upstream support rather than a product launch. The Qualcomm board additions also include seven handheld gaming devices built around Dragonwing SoCs.

Apple M4 and A18 Pro: boot support, not full platform enablement

The most attention-grabbing piece is that the kernel now has basic Apple M4 and A18 Pro support. Its currently available scope mirrors the Apple M3 situation that reached mainline recently: the system can boot to a console, while much of the rest of the hardware still lacks upstream support. For M4, the added device-tree work spans the 2024 14-inch MacBook Pro, the 2024 24-inch iMac with dual USB-C ports, the 2024 24-inch iMac with four USB-C ports, the 2025 13-inch MacBook Air, the 2025 15-inch MacBook Air, and the 2024 Mac Mini.

Google Tensor, Steam Frame VR and one RISC-V board

Google also moved forward: the Tensor G5, codenamed Laguna, which powered last year’s Pixel 10 smartphone, now appears in the mainline kernel. The same SoC batch also covers Steam Frame VR headset support. On RISC-V, the change set is small but concrete: one new board, the Milk-V Meles single-board computer using the T-Head TH1520 SoC.

LTS timing delays 32-bit ARM cleanup

Linux 7.4 had been expected to drop a large amount of 32-bit ARM code. That cleanup is being delayed at least until Linux 7.5 because the decision about which release, Linux 7.3 or Linux 7.4, will become the long-term support (LTS) version has not yet been settled this year. More details about the SoC changes can be found in a set of merge requests hosted on lore.kernel.org.