Omarchy Arch distro v4.5.0-rc2 moves N1x settings into linux-omarchy 7.3-3 kernel

Omarchy, an Arch Linux-derived distribution, has released v4.5.0-rc2 with a change that shifts N1x device settings management from the distribution layer into its custom kernel package linux-omarchy 7.3-3. This consolidation means hardware-specific tuning for N1x systems will now be applied directly by the kernel rather than through separate distribution configuration files. The change was merged via pull request #16758 and represents a cleanup of how the distro handles hardware-specific settings for this device family.

Users running Omarchy on N1x hardware will receive this change through the standard update path when linux-omarchy 7.3-3 is installed. The kernel package version indicates this is part of the 7.3 series, likely tracking a recent mainline Linux kernel with Omarchy-specific patches applied. No manual migration should be required for existing installations.

Kernel integration and N1x settings migration

• Kernel package responsibility shift: N1x hardware settings previously maintained at the distribution level are now handled within linux-omarchy 7.3-3, the distribution's custom kernel package.
• Version alignment: The change coincides with linux-omarchy 7.3-3, suggesting coordinated release between the kernel package and distribution settings cleanup.
• Maintenance reduction: Centralizing hardware-specific configuration in the kernel eliminates duplicate settings management and reduces the risk of version skew between kernel and distribution configuration.
• Release candidate stage: Tagged as v4.5.0-rc2, indicating this change is part of a pre-release testing cycle before the final v4.5.0 distribution release.

Why it matters

For Omarchy users on N1x hardware, this consolidation simplifies system updates by removing a configuration layer that could drift from kernel capabilities. The pattern of moving hardware-specific settings into custom kernel packages is one other Arch-derived distributions may evaluate for their own device support, particularly those maintaining specialized hardware enablement for laptops, single-board computers, or ARM64 devices.