>using some of the well-regarded thinkpad models and dealt with plastic falling off side panels and snagging when trying to slide it into backpacks.

I've been a very longtime user of both Thinkpads and MacBooks. I've liked my various Thinkpads but my experience using them as daily drivers was that there were invariably various port covers and other parts that could be reliably counted on to break off or otherwise be lost in a matter of months.