MSI finally died, looking for a replacement.

My 10-year old MSI laptop finally died and I'm looking for an upgrade. I have a desktop and a Steam Deck, so I don't really need a laptop for gaming, but I would like something beefier than my Lenovo P11 tablet. I got that with a keyboard cover hoping it would be sufficient for writing and web browsing buuuuut it feels pretty slow and it doesn't work very well unless it's propped up on a hard surface which makes it harder to use sitting on the couch or my recliner.

Whatever laptop I get, I'm planning to swap over to Linux which will be a first for me (I really don't like how AI-focused Win 11 is), so while I want something relatively new, I don't want to overpay by paying extra for an operating system I'm just going to bin.

I've been trying out my partner's Lenovo yoga 7 with Garuda installed and it's been okay but finnicky at times. I think most of my complaints have more to do with this specific Linux distro than the hardware itself, so I'd love to hear some reccs as far as which Linux distro might be a more frictionless experience for a first-time linux user.

Budget - I could afford something expensive, and I want something new and relatively quick for my purposes, but I'm not looking to splurge beyond what's needed for a quick, mobile workstation.