I used manjaro when I first started, but have had mixed success since then. Some criticisms here about shipping broken userspace (at least with their mobile OS): drewdevault.com/2022/…/PINE64-let-us-down.html
But, ubuntu is great for beginners, and i’ve always had good success with debian, although I’d point beginners to find an installer with non-free firmware until you know what’s going on