OT-Laptop advice needed

That really is a difficult question to answer as everyone has different needs and view points.

I used to be a big time computer builder when desktop size was perfectly acceptable, and trying to get maximum performance out of everything, but now that laptops are so powerful and so easy to handle, I havent worked on my desktops for a long time 😁

These are just my thoughts but I would go for a mid range laptop which has everything you want but is not at the top of the specs range.

What you want depends what do you want to use it for, just general surfing the web, emails and normal office and photo stuff, then probably nearly every laptop can do that without issue these days. My recent personal experience is with HP and Lenovo, and these have given plenty of trouble free daily use.

SSD drive is essential in my view, 256 / 512GB is fine, they are fast, reliable and don’t fail if your laptop should happen to take a big knock. I don’t see the point of big HDD in a laptop, both my laptops have 256GB SSD drives and are fine for normal use, and I also have a onedrive account with 1TB online storage where I store all my important stuff like photos etc, so the important stuff can be accessed from anywhere and is secure if my laptop should fail, get stolen etc. And external drives are so cheap if you need extra space on hand.

A reasonably new generation processor like 8th gen i5 will be fast, not power hungry and not generate too much heat, so battery life should be better. If the laptop gets hot easily and the fan is on a lot, its uncomfortable and I assume uses a significant amount of battery with the fan on.

Screen size 14” - light, easy to carry, good battery life. This is my preference but then I use a larger monitor screen at home.
Screen size 15” - heavier, often higher specs and bigger battery, longer battery life, less portable but easier screen size to view.
17" screen, I've never liked and are too big and bulky imo

Resolution of 1920x1080 seems to be normal and I've not needed anything different from that for office and home use. One of my laptops has touch screen but I hardly ever use that option, maybe I'm just too used to the mouse haha.

At home I use a docking station with a monitor, keyboard and mouse, this makes super easy to use when I’m just sitting at my desk and not roaming around the house.
I think its good to have USB-C also for speed and versatility

Not sure that offers any help

I have a Lenovo Ideapad from a couple years ago, Win10 / touchscreen, hasn't broken a sweat with all the videoconferencing etc. I did buy a larger one (17" I think) but I'm issued a work laptop so portability isn't a concern; still I think a 15" version would be pretty good

I can recommend one not to get - the Surface Pro. My wife has one, and has had nothing but problems with it. The charger (!) has stopped working twice. This is the second one in two years and is a known problem. Microsoft will not replace under any warranty and they cost $90 a pop for the official one. We’ve resorted to buying cheaper aftermarket ones that if they fail, at least don’t cost $90 to replace.

she also has problems with the Bluetooth going in and out, and the wireless dropping for no apparent reason. We know it’s the Surface Pro because my iPad and MacBook have no problems at all. IMO, Microsoft cut corners with cheap components to keep the price down, and it shows.

MacBook Pro(s) are capable to run Windows, and these machines will give you big pluses on all of your criteria (not sure if touch screen works while running Windows). They are not the cheapest of laptops in the market but certainly of high quality...mine remains running like a champ for almost thirteen years...and, personally will never go back to a Windows based computer...