I’ve used linux either as my main or secondary OS for about 18 years. Ubuntu is still the easiest to setup and get started, but in my experience becomes the least flexible over time to tweak to my liking. Arch linux does have its cons, and often requires care and time to address updates, but it is by far my favorite distro — pacman + AUR and the full control of my OS are what makes it truly feel like my own OS and computer
I believe some custom ROMs use an AOSP version that is very simplified, but it’s not a 1:1 replacement. I’ll be following this to see if anybody has suggestions.