All of this plus, in regards to, number 2, x86 got cheap. For $80(well, pre tariffs at least) I can deal with a Pi 5s quirks and slowness, or I can buy a Radxa X4 with an Intel N100, a built in 2230 M.2 slot, 2.5GbE, and a Pi Pico with full GPIO. Software support? I have UEFI; literally anything I care to install will install from an ISO.
Literally the Radxa’s faults all boil down to the same faults the Pi has with the goofy form factor that forces you to cable squid, and the shitty microHDMI ports.
All for the same price.
Did Radxa ever iron out the heat sink issue with the X4? IIRC, when released, the official heat sink needed shimming to make proper contact with the processor.
For mine, following Explaining Computers' advice, I put in a copper shim, and that solved the issue. But I'm not sure if they ever sold through the stock of their first revision heatsink. I think they did, but I haven't bought another since the first two.