Maybe Clevo, since they are more of an OEM producer for other brands meaning they don't control all the eyes on the hardware all the way to the sale point, i.e. to sneak things in.
replyClev-who?
replyWhite box OEM, they make like 80% of the laptops you can buy.
replyAt this I can't think of anyone I'd trust less. People have their complaints about every manufacture, but as far as I know, none of them have a track record as bad and as consistent as levono. Personally, I'm looking at system76 and Framework for my next laptop.
replySystem76 does not make their own laptops, it's all rebadged.
replyThey said like 2 years ago they were working on one, but I have not heard much since.
Who do you have to trust the least? The other two choices are Chromebooks and Macbooks, or some homegrown Linux solution. Of those, only Chromebooks are locked down to the point that you can't do anything with it unless you intentionally unlock it. Which means it's safe for some kinds of things but not others, depending on your threat model.
replyDell wept.
replyDell is the one that may break, but their service is great. Next business day on site repair.
replyMaybe HP business stuff as well? HP are inconsistent, but some of their stuff is good. I've had an HP ZR24w screen with great picture quality that still works like new after 15 years and 30k hours. The ZBook G1a laptop ("mobile workstation in ultrabook form factor") also seems great so far, after a little under a year. Almost everything about it is very good, including the touchpad.