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Yes, Linux actually does already run on ARM chips, and Qualcomm themselves pledged support for Linux for the new chips within the next 6 months.
There is one big issue though: most applications won't be available since they have to work specifically for ARM. This is a big deal because I don't think Linux has a proper x86 --> ARM translation layer. That means most of your apps and games won't work.
I'd wait at least a couple of months to see how the ecosystem is before buying one. It's likely going to be a very bumpy ride for the next ~2 years until everything you'd need is supported.
Most applications are/can be compiled for arm. You just need the right repo or to compile from source.
Raspberry pi’s are very popular and are arm based already.
You don’t need a translation layer unless the software is proprietary and the vendor isn’t willing to compile for arm.
Maybe the essentials like browsers and CMD tools are available for ARM, but I'm talking about applications in general. Almost all of Flatpak won't work, not everyone will bother compiling for ARM and those that do probably won't do so as soon as these laptops release. You'd have to be a real poweruser to compile stuff from source and not suffer. Not to mention proprietary stuff that are already reluctant to support Linux, imagine how long it'll take for things like Zoom and Discord to get official support. Before anyone hits me with the "those don't matter", it does to a lot of people.
Even then, there will be tons of legacy apps people will want to run.
Have you looked? Almost all software on flathub (definitely the majority) lists aarch64 (ARM). So yes, most things work.
Again, proprietary software is the main issue here. Open source software is pretty easy to recompile.
I understand qemu can emulate x86 in those cases, with a performance hit.