I've used Slackware, Void Linux, Debian, Arch. Slackware and Void Linux I found really nice technically. However, I'm currently using latest Ubuntu simply because of the popularity, which translates to large ecosystem and minimum setup required for basic things.
I'm not a fan of how Ubuntu does things, but I'm at a point in my life where I want something that's fire-and-forget. Certainly wasn't the case before, might not be the case in the future. You'll be making some kind of compromises when choosing your computing environment. Be upfront with what you can compromise and what you can't and choosing will be easier.
Slackware was my very first Linux (Slackware 3.6). Back then I built a Linux From Scratch (2001/2002) and used it for two semesters and it really helped me fully understand a lot about Linux.
I find that Linux devotees often leave out the compromises they've made in their computing choices. Thank you for stating yours, it helps contextualize the reasons for choosing Ubuntu!
I've done a similar (very interesting techically) trip through various distros.
Instead of Ubuntu, I settled for Fedora.
It provides newer packages than Ubuntu but also "just works" (at least for me).
The disadvantage would be the far lower popularity compared to Ubuntu.
I'm not a fan of how Ubuntu does things, but I'm at a point in my life where I want something that's fire-and-forget. Certainly wasn't the case before, might not be the case in the future. You'll be making some kind of compromises when choosing your computing environment. Be upfront with what you can compromise and what you can't and choosing will be easier.