> Do you have any specific models/lines you'd reccomend?

My current thinkpad is a T14 5th gen w/ AMD, and everything worked OOTB with both Ubuntu and Fedora.

You can always double check particular models/configurations on ThinkWiki(https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki), or Ubuntu certifications (https://ubuntu.com/certified/laptops?q=&limit=120&vendor=Len...) or RedHat's equivalent(https://catalog.redhat.com/en/search?searchType=Hardware&par...)

Generally, the newer the hardware, the more you need a more recent kernel which may have been what you ran into with Debian. I've had laptops that worked in Fedora & Arch, but Debian & Ubuntu didn't have a recent enough kernel for the WiFi adapter. If you still have that laptop might be worth it to give it another shot depending on how long ago you tried, Trixie may work on it.

DELL XPS

Screen (it's good, I have the 2.8k one), but it's not quite to the level of Apple's (although I definitely prefer the matte over the glossy). It's also not as bright, which does matter to me.

Otherwise, it's mostly nitpicks on my part that don't matter to everyone. The speakers don't remotely hold a candle to the macbook's, nor does the microphone. On mine specifically (5th Gen T14 w/ AMD), the keyboard isn't quite the same as the older thinkpads and I'd rank the Macbook's keyboard better. My last nitpick is battery life.

Not saying the ThinkPad is bad, I like it for what it is, but I still reach for the macbook more when I want to use it as a laptop and not docked into my monitors. It's runs cooler, quieter, better screen, better speakers.

the stiffness of the keyboard deck and entire chassis, even the X series (I used to have an X1 extreme) had significant deflection in the middle of the keyboard deck, poor torsional rigidity, and an ewaste quality display compared to an M1 Pro MBP

The new macbooks can be purchased with an anti reflective coating, works extremely well.

The screen clarity, speakers, and microphone are all better on a mac. That counts as “quality” i think? These are things many users would use daily in zoom meetings for example.

And good luck if you are a heavy trackpad user. The thinkpad trackpad is usable but basically junk as a daily driver. Like most laptops unfortunately.

If I had to buy a non-apple laptop, i’d probably buy a Thinkpad. They’re great machines overall, but i’m picky and they don’t meet my needs in some important areas.

Much of it's going to boil down to personal preferences obviously, however it's very reasonable to argue that the trackpads on Apple laptops are the best in the industry. Generally Apple laptops have great speakers and sound, high quality microphones, with good noise cancelling. The laptop shell is bendy enough to not be brittle, but stiff enough to work even in a lap. Battery life is second to none, keyboard quality is good enough (often better than most PC laptops). Great screen quality, with glossy and matte options.

Their software ecosystem is a more mixed bag, great integration between devices and services, but definitely a walled garden (not 100% a bad thing), and the walls are getting higher (definitely bad).

Apple of today is very consumer and developer hostile, to the point of burning any and all goodwill that they have.