GNOME 48 Linux desktop launches with performance boosts but System76’s Cosmic is a rising threat

GNOME 48 is finally here, and as a longtime Linux user, I have to say -- it is my favorite desktop environment. I’ve tried KDE Plasma, as just one example, and while it’s packed with customization options, it always feels a little too cluttered for my taste. GNOME, on the other hand, is clean, modern, and just works. With version 48, the GNOME developers continue refining their vision with smoother performance, new features, and improved usability.

One of the best additions in this release is notification stacking. If you’ve ever been bombarded with notifications from the same app, you’ll appreciate this change. Instead of a never-ending list, notifications are grouped together, making it easier to find what’s important.

Performance improvements are also a big deal in GNOME 48. The introduction of dynamic triple buffering makes animations feel smoother, with fewer skipped frames. This isn’t some minor tweak, y’all -- this feature has been in development for five years, and the result is a more fluid desktop experience. Other speed boosts include better CPU and memory efficiency in GNOME’s JavaScript engine, improved file indexing, and major speed gains in the Files app. Loading large folders is now up to five times faster, while scrolling through thumbnails is ten times quicker.

The default image viewer has gotten some love too, now featuring basic editing tools like cropping, rotating, and flipping images. Zoom controls have been redesigned for better usability, and for those who need it, there’s experimental support for RAW image formats.

GNOME 48 also introduces new fonts -- Adwaita Sans and Adwaita Mono. Adwaita Sans is based on Inter, a popular typeface optimized for high-density screens, while Adwaita Mono is a customized version of Iosevka, perfect for terminal users. These fonts aren’t just visually appealing; they improve readability and provide better language support.

One of the more interesting new features is Digital Wellbeing. If you’ve ever lost track of time on your computer, GNOME now tracks screen usage, lets you set daily limits, and even offers grayscale mode to encourage breaks. There’s also a new battery health option that caps charging at 80 percent, which can extend battery life for supported hardware.

A surprise addition in GNOME 48 is Decibels, a minimalistic audio player. Unlike bloated music library apps, Decibels focuses on playing individual files, making it perfect for podcasts or audio samples. It even includes a waveform display and playback speed controls.

Another huge improvement -- GNOME now supports HDR! If you’ve got the right display, you can enable HDR in the settings and enjoy richer colors in supported apps. It’s still early days for HDR on Linux, but this is a nice start.

The Text Editor app has also been redesigned with a cleaner interface and better document formatting options. Other refinements include better window placement, global shortcut support, improved function key recognition, UI tweaks in Contacts, and better accessibility for Orca on Wayland. GNOME Web has also improved its accessibility when running as a Flatpak, while GNOME Maps and GNOME Calendar have received various refinements.

Now, while GNOME 48 is fantastic, I have to be honest -- System76’s Cosmic desktop environment is starting to look very impressive. The Pop!_OS maker is developing Cosmic as a completely independent DE, written in Rust, and it’s shaping up to be a serious competitor. If I were the GNOME team, I’d be keeping a close eye on it.

Still, for now, GNOME remains the superior Linux desktop, and version 48 only strengthens its position. If you’re running a distribution that offers it, you’ll definitely want to upgrade once it becomes available.