Well at least they use Signal… (half /s)

This. Surely not the fastest way to get content from/to a remote computer, but it just works as soon as you enable sshd.

MacBook replacement is difficult even when you don’t limit yourself at all. I doubt you will find something with a build quality, display, battery life and thermals, in EU, that would come close to Macbooks. Therefore set you expectations right.

I’d add XMG to the brands mentioned here.