Debian is not easier than Ubuntu, the opposite is the case, you have to tinker around with some things to get them work how you want them. Usually you end up with a system which is more suited to your needs and preferences, but you have to put more work into it.

In terms of stability, it’s not like Ubuntu LTS Desktop will just break down, I use it way over 10 years and it never end up in a broken state (well it did, but it was my mistake). It’s more of a server thing, were you can just install updates without having to fear that something got incompatible.

Shouldn’t be an issue. I see people recommending other distros but it doesn’t sound like you are asking about that at all.

It also sounds like you understand the catch with Debian: older packages stick around for a bit. But, you can go to Testing or Sid.

Stable just means no major version jumps in software that might break your current setup. That’s important for operating servers, not desktops.

I use debian Sid (unstable) at work and never had problems. Most of the time I get updates prior to other distributions I am using.

At home I use arch (derivates, manjaro), with great success.

I would abstain from Ubuntu. There, I had problems, it is very opinionated and not in s good way.

In a general sense I would always chose a distribution that isn’t too locked in to a certain desktop environment and provides updates, quickly.

I’ve been running Deb 12 on my laptop for a year and a half and it’s good. The one issue I have had is directly related to being on brand new hardware that wasn’t supported yet by the kernel. Before that I ran 9, 10 and 11 with zero issues on laptops and desktops.

Also, I am planning to use Ventoy for the boot drive. My device has UEFI, so is there any extra steps I need to follow to install the distro properly?

How do I know if my device actually works with all the foss drivers? Is there a list of hardware supported?