The Linux Mint 22.2 "Zara" beta will be made available by the end of July or the beginning of August, according to Clem Lefebvre, the project manager for Linux Mint. It's a noteworthy release as usual, with an improved Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel that will better support newer hardware such as WLAN cards, CPUs, and GPUs.
It will be rather stable as a beta, but production machines shouldn't use it. Just wait for the stable update to arrive, or if you're already using Mint, upgrade in-place. It won't take long.
Along with additional hardware compatibility, Linux Mint 22.2 will also include a new XApp called Fingwit, which has built-in support for sudo authentication, screensaver unlock, and fingerprint login. The application will revert to password entry if necessary.
Linux Mint 22.2 also updates the Mint-Y theme, giving it a faint blue tinge for a more contemporary, metallic appearance. Additionally, libAdwaita compatibility will be enhanced, enabling Flatpak programs to more closely match your GTK theme and accent colors.
More Wayland development is also being done on the Cinnamon desktop, but the complete switch is not yet complete.
Lefebvre stated that the emphasis will switch to LMDE 7 "Gigi," which is anticipated in September, following the stable release of Linux Mint 22.2. Unlike the mainline Mint, which is based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, this version will be based on Debian 13. Official OEM installation support is one of the major new features of LMDE 7, which will make it simpler for manufacturers to pre-install this version of Linux Mint.