Framework 13 dim display sometimes upon waking, even at 100% brightness

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
1

Which Linux distro are you using? EndeavourOS

Which release version? Rolling release, last updated 2025-12-28

Which kernel are you using? 6.18.2-arch2-1

Which BIOS version are you using? 03.05

Which Framework Laptop 13 model are you using? (AMD Ryzen™ AI 300 Series, AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series, Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 1, 13th Gen Intel® Core™ , 12th Gen Intel® Core™, 11th Gen Intel® Core™) AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series

Sometimes when I wake my Framework 13, the display will be dim even if I set the brightness to 100% in KDE, like there is a desync between 100% and the max nit level. Rebooting brings back the proper brightness control.

In this bugged state, the brightness values reported by the kernel is as follows:

$ ls -l /sys/class/backlight/*/*brightness
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Jan  2 15:06 /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl1/actual_brightness
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Jan  2 15:05 /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl1/brightness
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Dec 29 13:32 /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl1/max_brightness
$ cat /sys/class/backlight/*/*brightness
7967
19661
65535

And at 0%:

$ cat /sys/class/backlight/*/*brightness
0
1
65535

Issuing echo 65535 > /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl1/brightness as the root user will allow the display to operate at full brightness, but changing the setting in KDE will drop it back down to 19661 again.

2

Can confirm I have same issue on nixos unstable with kde. 7640u here.

3

Can confirm, happens on Fedora KDE 43 and 7640u. So far sounds like a KDE specific bug?

4

Having this too - Fedora 43 KDE, amd AI 300 cpu

5

I just want to add another context, happens on my framework 16 this also happens on my Framework 16 AMD Ryzen 7040 Series, KDE plasma 6.7.4

❯ ls -l /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl2/*brightness
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 20 15:43 /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl2/actual_brightness
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 20 15:48 /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl2/brightness
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 20 15:26 /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl2/max_brightness

~ 
❯ cat /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl2/*brightness
63584
62258
65535

~ 
❯ cat /sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl2/*brightness
0
65535
65535
6

Not sure if it’s the same problem, but there have been amdgpu brightness issues in some very-recent kernels, that at least for me were solved in kernel version 7.2.0.