> Avoid Microsoft Surface Laptops, which require patches to run Linux, Microsoft doesn't offer an Image ready to burn on a stick.

Is this indeed the case, and likely to continue for the foreseeable future? If so, that is really disappointing. I came in to recommend the Surface Laptop 4. You get the choice of an AMD or Intel processor, excellent build quality, and a 200dpi 3:2 touchscreen. And if you choose the "business" version, you can spec it with up to 32GB memory.

My wife is a die-hard ThinkPad user, but I can't stand the widescreen nature of them. I love how the notch on my MBP gives me that little extra bit of vertical real estate. But that screen on the Surface Laptop! My kids and a niece have them, they are amazing.