linux-drivers/
drivers/gpu/drm/panel

DRM Panel Drivers for DSI, eDP, and LVDS Flat-Panel Displays

A large collection of small drivers for the LCD and OLED panels inside laptops, tablets, single-board computer touchscreens, and embedded devices. They cover panels connected over MIPI-DSI, embedded DisplayPort, and LVDS, including widely shipped hardware like the Raspberry Pi Touch Display and many Ilitek, Novatek, Samsung, and Boe panel modules.

keep conf=0.96 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=gpu category=graphics-display
96%

recommendation

It should stay because this is one of the most active corners of the graphics subsystem and the canonical home for new panel support. Recent activity in 2026 includes core API improvements, brand-new panel additions, and ongoing fixes to existing drivers like panel-ilitek-ili9882t, while hardware that depends on it (such as Raspberry Pi's touchscreens, advertised as available through 2030) is still being sold new. There is no replacement subsystem; removing it would strand a huge swath of currently shipping displays.

repository signals

125 files
68,345 source lines
948 commits, 5y
+53,553 / −17,984 lines added / removed, 5y
229 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 948 total · active in 58/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 6 commits · +34 −29 2021-05: 2 commits · +3 −0 2021-06: 15 commits · +873 −110 2021-07: 13 commits · +1,802 −132 2021-08: 7 commits · +1,043 −6 2021-09: 35 commits · +4,897 −1,373 2021-10: 15 commits · +681 −369 2021-11: 4 commits · +34 −4 2021-12: 3 commits · +111 −38 2022-01: 10 commits · +364 −183 2022-02: 9 commits · +89 −44 2022-03: 7 commits · +555 −9 2022-04: 11 commits · +100 −38 2022-05: 5 commits · +94 −1 2022-06: 20 commits · +514 −68 2022-07: 20 commits · +537 −231 2022-08: 6 commits · +44 −13 2022-09: 16 commits · +42 −25 2022-10: 5 commits · +37 −35 2022-11: 10 commits · +1,016 −19 2022-12: 7 commits · +385 −10 2023-01: 28 commits · +2,854 −759 2023-02: 4 commits · +163 −17 2023-03: 6 commits · +963 −1 2023-04: 9 commits · +678 −10 2023-05: 17 commits · +1,808 −239 2023-06: 6 commits · +36 −5 2023-07: 28 commits · +953 −101 2023-08: 16 commits · +727 −316 2023-09: 3 commits · +521 −29 2023-10: 15 commits · +907 −389 2023-11: 21 commits · +468 −65 2023-12: 26 commits · +1,598 −188 2024-01: 11 commits · +1,408 −91 2024-02: 16 commits · +1,163 −147 2024-03: 25 commits · +549 −101 2024-04: 23 commits · +1,347 −629 2024-05: 62 commits · +3,812 −3,300 2024-06: 42 commits · +2,300 −1,924 2024-07: 27 commits · +1,034 −327 2024-08: 20 commits · +1,532 −1,397 2024-09: 14 commits · +618 −369 2024-10: 17 commits · +1,585 −234 2024-11: 4 commits · +39 −0 2024-12: 8 commits · +117 −13 2025-01: 6 commits · +136 −209 2025-02: 14 commits · +1,677 −232 2025-03: 9 commits · +1,202 −1,336 2025-04: 28 commits · +2,034 −243 2025-05: 96 commits · +1,609 −533 2025-06: 17 commits · +1,124 −425 2025-07: 34 commits · +2,113 −843 2025-08: 6 commits · +43 −3 2025-09: 12 commits · +994 −447 2025-10: 6 commits · +759 −1 2025-11: 20 commits · +767 −90 2025-12: 14 commits · +328 −203 2026-01: 11 commits · +329 −28 2026-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    April 2026 core-series patch adds atomic panel ops, showing active subsystem development rather than retirement.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    April 2026 patch series adds a brand-new panel driver in this directory, indicating ongoing enablement of new hardware.

  3. lore.kernel.org

    March 2026 fix to panel-ilitek-ili9882t shows recent maintenance on existing in-tree panel drivers.

  4. raspberrypi.com

    Official Raspberry Pi Touch Display product page says the 7-inch touchscreen remains in production until at least January 2030.

  5. raspberrypi.com

    Official Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 product page shows 5-inch and 7-inch DSI touchscreen displays on sale in 2025/2026.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Directory is an active driver collection, not a dead single-device leaf: phase-1 stats already show 938 substantive commits in 5y and 215 authors. Lore evidence was obtained via `mcp__lore_http__.lore_substr_subject` (core API work and new panel-driver additions in Apr 2026) and `mcp__lore_http__.lore_activity` (recent fixes for panel-ilitek-ili9882t in Jan-Mar 2026). A removal/deprecation regex query timed out, and the successful lore results instead show additions and fixes, not removal traffic. Deployment evidence was obtained via `web.search_query`: Raspberry Pi still sells both the original Touch Display and Touch Display 2, matching this directory's role as the DRM panel home for current DSI/eDP/LVDS displays. No single upstream replacement exists; this directory is the replacement target for board-specific panel support, so removal/deprecation would strand actively supported hardware.