Marin Hawk Hill (FS) vs Norco Fluid HT 1 (Hardtail)

Okay so my 11 year old is getting into mountain biking. Coming off of a Diamondback Syncr 24. He's 4'10", so solidly in the xtra small category. I've found two bikes in my area that seem fair deals.

1. A very lightly used 2021 Norco Fluid HT 1. (Hardtail) 27.5, Dropper, 120mm Xfusion RC32 Fork, 1x12, Tektro brakes, Deore.

2. A well kept (maybe 2021?) Marin Hawk Hill (FS) 27.5, Dropper, 130mm RockShock Recon Silver RL, 120mm X-Fusion o2 Pro R rear shock, 1x11, Shimano MT201 brakes, Deore.

Both are advertised for $850. My son is only about 80lbs, so weight is a factor. I'm guessing the weight difference is around 2lb between the bikes. Maybe 29lb vs 31lb.

Part of me wants him to learn trail riding without an 'easy button' that is FS. But part of me sees the Marin as a better investment, in that it'll depreciate less, and has a marginally better build on it.

He's not going to win any races this upcoming year, so it's not about making sure he gets the holeshot and hits the trailhead in the top 5 and can hammer, it's more about him having fun and enjoying riding/racing. I feel the Marin is the better bike for that.

Thoughts?