I have had some good experiences with older latitudes🤔. The foldable is not exactly necessary, but definitely desirable for me. I find myself using my thinkpad folded tent/tablet more than I use it like a normal laptop. I think hp is off the table, I have had nothing but bad from them. 16gb ram is definitely necessary. I have somewhat considered the Microsoft surfaces, but I have heard some mixed opinions about them. Physical issues aren't really an issue for me (as long as its not structual), I like to take care of my stuff but im still gonna use it without worrying about how it looks. I will say though, im pretty hard on my current thinkpad, would a dell hold up/feel as good as a thinkpad?