No other distributions tested yet.
I think Dell sell this particular laptop with a linux confiruation so that might be a starting point.
the this link you posted, I'll investigate next.
The kernel versions where different versions may support different features, but no kernel supporting them all, dissuades me from exploring all possibilities since I need to stop spaffing time on OS's and get back to my job of writing software.
Above all though, thank you for your kindness and knowledge on this.
I will update this thread on the final outcome!