As much as I'm distressed to see the current situation with Bambu Lab I wouldn't consider it "falling for relentless marketing". They are/were genuinely ahead of the curve.
I've owned 3 different 3D printers before my P1S in the nearly decade I've been 3D printing (I got my first in 2017) and Bambu was the first to actually deliver on being "plug and play" when compared to the competition.
I'm hopeful the situation when my P1S kicks the bucket has changed (it may already have but I'm not in the market so I haven't checked). But for now I'm just not updating the firmware.
That's a little hopeful to hear. When I was researching my purchase I had considered a Qidi machine but the reviews were inconsistent at the time. This was back early '24 though. I think my Microcenter warranty on the P1S is running out soon.