Python 3.15.0 alpha 7 (#38)

Author: hugovk

content/posts/python-3150-alpha-7/index.md

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+---
+title: Python 3.15.0 alpha 7
+publishDate: '2026-03-10'
+author: Hugo van Kemenade
+description: 'The penultimate 3.15 alpha is out!'
+tags:
+  - releases
+published: true
+---
+
+**This is an early developer preview of Python 3.15**
+
+[www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3150a7/](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3150a7/)
+
+## Major new features of the 3.15 series, compared to 3.14
+
+Python 3.15 is still in development. This release, 3.15.0a7, is the seventh of eight planned alpha releases.
+
+Alpha releases are intended to make it easier to test the current state of new features and bug fixes and to test the release process.
+
+During the alpha phase, features may be added up until the start of the beta phase (2026-05-05) and, if necessary, may be modified or deleted up until the release candidate phase (2026-07-28). Please keep in mind that this is a preview release and its use is **not** recommended for production environments.
+
+Many new features for Python 3.15 are still being planned and written. Among the new major new features and changes so far:
+
+* [PEP 810](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-pep810): Explicit lazy imports
+* [PEP 814](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-frozendict): `frozendict` built-in type
+* [PEP 799](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-sampling-profiler): A new high-frequency, low-overhead, statistical sampling profiler and dedicated profiling package
+* [PEP 798](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-unpacking-in-comprehensions): Unpacking in comprehensions with `*` and `**`
+* [PEP 686](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-utf8-default): Python now uses UTF-8 as the default encoding
+* [PEP 728](https://peps.python.org/pep-0728/): `TypedDict` with typed extra items
+* [PEP 747](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#typing): Annotating type forms with `TypeForm`
+* [PEP 782](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-pep782): A new `PyBytesWriter` C API to create a Python bytes object
+* The [JIT compiler](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#whatsnew315-jit) has been significantly upgraded, with 3-4% geometric mean performance improvement on x86-64 Linux over the standard interpreter, and 7-8% speedup on AArch64 macOS over the tail-calling interpreter
+* [Improved error messages](https://docs.python.org/3.15/whatsnew/3.15.html#improved-error-messages)
+* <small>(Hey, **fellow core team member,** if a feature you find important is missing from this list, let Hugo know.)</small>
+
+The next pre-release of Python 3.15 will be 3.15.0a8, currently scheduled for 2026-04-07.
+
+## More resources
+
+* [Online documentation](https://docs.python.org/3.15/)
+* [PEP 790](https://peps.python.org/pep-0790/), 3.15 release schedule
+* Report bugs at [https://github.com/python/cpython/issues](https://github.com/python/cpython/issues)
+* [Help fund Python directly](https://www.python.org/psf/donations/python-dev/) (or via [GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors/python)) and support [the Python community](https://www.python.org/psf/donations/)
+
+## And now for something completely different
+
+> And thus, while the one ship went cheerily before the breeze, the other
+stubbornly fought against it; and so the two vessels parted; the crew
+of the Pequod looking with grave, lingering glances towards the
+receding Bachelor; but the Bachelor’s men never heeding their gaze for
+the lively revelry they were in. And as Ahab, leaning over the
+taffrail, eyed the homeward-bound craft, he took from his pocket a
+small vial of sand, and then looking from the ship to the vial, seemed
+thereby bringing two remote associations together, for that vial was
+filled with Nantucket soundings.
+
+## Enjoy the new release
+
+Thanks to all of the many volunteers who help make Python development and these releases possible! Please consider supporting our efforts by volunteering yourself or through organisation contributions to the [Python Software Foundation](https://www.python.org/psf/donations/).
+
+Regards from Helsinki as spring melts the snow,
+
+Your release team,  
+Hugo van Kemenade  
+Ned Deily  
+Steve Dower  
+Łukasz Langa