when you search for laptops, there are a couple of things to look for

"normal" 2.5" SATA drive - can be a regular HDD (spinning platter), or a 2.5" SATA SSD

m.2 slot - can fit a m.2 SATA SSD or m.2 nvme SSD (depends on laptop)
m.2 is physically smaller, comes in different lengths (different laptops can support different lengths) - https://www.performance-computer.com...ssds-compared/


whats the difference between SATA and nvme?
nvme protocol can provide much faster speeds than SATA (depends on actual product though). typically more $

for your laptop:
if you have an existing spare 2.5" HDD. you can buy a laptop that allows both, comes with m.2 SSD (and you can put your 2.5" HDD inside)

hands down, definitely get a laptop with SSD. very common to find laptops that offer SSD preconfigured