Lots of the AI related stuff is a big draw for current Lightroom. There’s also a lack of Adobe colors, which aren’t a need unless you’re printing a lot

Full disclosure It’s been a bit since I’ve used it, but I may try to import the ~800gb photo library I have into it again and give it another shot

Darktable is the closest, but it’s still missing a ton of features that are basic in Lightroom.

Lightroom and Photoshop are unfortunately good products with shitty licensing.

I probably wouldn’t upgrade. The X is still fine, and sounds like it’s still working for your usecase. Wait another generation and see if you feel like it offers something that you’ve gotta have vs your current phone.

The only reason I upgraded my 11 -> 14 Pro Max was the battery life and screen size.

It’s good to get out of the “must upgrade” mentality, especially when you’re asking others to give you a reason to.