I have been coding on a ThinkPad t460p with an i7, a 1GB SSD, and 32GB Ram for the past two years. I loaded it with Ubuntu Gnome and most everything I use it for just works. I also opted for the larger battery so I can easily go 4-7 hours unplugged, depending on usage. I got the matte 4K screen and all these maxed out specs for around $1800 new.

ThinkPad quality isn't what it used to be, but if you just want a solid, no-frills, easily upgraded Linux laptop, the thinkpad t-series and x-series laptops are still the best option out there, in my opinion.

16gb seems to be the current max ram. Only way to get 32 gb in Chromebooks would be to take one of the rare beefy 32gb laptops and run one of the private chromeos distributions.