Since it's a big world, what models are you considering and are available?

Define "last a while." Life span is about the same here but the owner can use up the battery quickly or extend battery life by using the ABC rule (Always Be Charging.) Batteries tend to be 300 cycle rated and fail early for folk that use then strictly on battery power.

The rest of the machine's life span is again up to the owner most of the time as care and handling matters. The user that pounds on the keys will get less years for example over a light touch typer.

What do you mean by not basic? Is there a gamer need here? Or is there some need for Bluetooth 5.x?

https://www.cnet.com/topics/laptops/best-laptops/ultraportables/ gives us a shock as the Surface 3 (without the keyboard) is quite a nice starter for light laptops.)

If budget is an issue, look at Groupon offerings.