Show & tell: the new release that nobody talks about

There is a lot of conflicting advice online and most of it is from 2019. For context, I am working with a pretty modest budget so high-end suggestions probably will not land. Not sure if this is the right place to ask, mods please remove if it is not.

This came up at a meetup recently and the room was split, so curious what the broader community thinks.

Been thinking about this for a while and curious what the community thinks. Looking for honest feedback, not validation.