@zak Glad you have found your distro! I am relatively new to Linux (but much longer time in plans). I have landed differently, for time being. My 1st choice is Mint (Cinnamon, Xfce on low spec) with Debian Xfce as 2nd. Tested a couple more. I do not rule out I change to something else one day. This is my private life. Can't help but tell about this podcast: https://distrohoppersdigest.blogspot.com/
@zak Debian is as Volvo cars (used to be); not the funniest but very robust and reliable, like a tractor. Mint is a couple of steps funnier. I am sure you are right, there are other that use edge tech. For time being, I stay on not top modern devices, but should be good enough with margin for my needs incl photo editing.
@hehemrin In that case, those are two excellent choices.
@hehemrin Mint is a great choice. My only issue with it (and this is very petty) is that I find it boring. It doesn't really push the boundaries of the latest tech in Linux. Fedora does that really well. Ubuntu, I find, provides a balance in stability and new tech. Mint is usually far behind, but because it is, it's extremely consistent and stable. It's probably one of my top picks to install on a relative's old device.
Debian I don't use because it doesn't provide an easy version to version upgrade path without modifying source files, which I just don't love.