Lenovo FN+Q power mode cycle behaves inconsistently after kernel update

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1

After upgrading to Fedora 43 with kernel 6.17.7, the FN+Q power mode switching functionality on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 no longer operates as expected.

Before the update, pressing FN+Q only controlled firmware-level characteristics, such as fan speed curves and the power button indicator (blue for Silent, white for Balanced, red for Performance), with no effect on KDE power profiles.

Following the recent kernel update, FN+Q now also modifies KDE’s power profiles in addition to firmware behavior. However, the mode cycling has become unreliable. In most cases, the system only switches between Balanced (white) and Performance (red), while Silent mode (blue) is skipped or fails to activate.

When switching from Performance to Balanced, the power button light briefly displays blue, then white, then flashes blue again before settling on white. The expected behavior is a direct transition from Performance (red) to Silent (blue), not Balanced (white).

Manually selecting power modes from KDE’s battery widget works correctly. When changed through the UI, the hardware indicators and fan response align properly with the selected power profile.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Boot Fedora 43 (KDE Plasma 6.5.2) on a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.

  2. Use FN+Q repeatedly to cycle through power modes.

  3. Observe the power button indicator and KDE power profile changes.

Actual Results

  • FN+Q cycles mostly between Balanced and Performance.

  • Silent mode fails to activate consistently.

  • Light indicators show incorrect or brief transitions.

Expected Results

  • FN+Q should reliably cycle between all three modes: Silent (blue), Balanced (white), Performance (red).

  • KDE power profiles and hardware indicators should remain synchronized without skipping modes.

Additional Information

  • Laptop model: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3

  • Desktop Environment: KDE Plasma 6.5.2

  • Fedora version: 43

  • Kernel version: 6.17.7

2

I’m currently using a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (15IHU6, to be more specific), and Fn+Q never worked very well in Linux here. As reported in ArchWiki (as “IdeaPad 3 Gaming 15ARH05”), Fn+Q works but system don’t know about it, fan_mode still same value even by hearing cooler changing speed.

So your operation system can’t change profile or something like that. (If you solve it, I will be happy to apply here too :folded_hands: )