Portal basically is an interface/backend for flatpaks to interface with toolkits & DEs. If you don't use flatpak, xdg-desktop-portal and associated backends should be removable. Even if you do, try removing the gtk and gnome backends w/apt. Hopefully it won't try to remove a ton of stuff due to dependencies. Then, reboot and see if the slow loading problem goes away. If it does, you can try re-adding one or the other and see if it comes back.
Does logging in take forever as well?
Also after some cursory research, some people have had problems with portal on Mint after updates as well, just like on Arch. So... definitely try it.
Random shot, because it's probably not an issue on Mint like it was on Arch a few months ago, but xdg-desktop-portal problems can cause apps to take forever to load, but run fine once loaded.
Also the Bip cannot spy on you unless you install the official app. It's limited to its interactions with apps over bluetooth, and I just use Gadgetbridge.
What Android software could you use for managing it? Gadgetbridge seems to not have fully-developed support for it, even with their preferred firmware.
I'm using Gadgetbridge with a hacked Amazfit Bip and I'm pretty happy. I like the multicolor TFT LCD w/no default backlight on the Bip, which is very readable in bright light and only requires a quick button press to get the backlight on in the dark, or you can waste more battery life and have it turn on when you turn it towards yourself. It's also got built-in GPS/workout tracking (you have to manually flash the A-GPS data occasionally...), the ability to load little open source apps, sleep tracking, heart rate tracking, notifications, custom watchfaces, etc which I'm sure the Pinetime has most of. The battery also lasts ages since it uses such a low-power LCD.
I'm not saying the Pinetime isn't good, but decent alternatives exist. I would love a truly open-source smart watch, but maybe when the project is slightly more mature. I guess I could always get one and contribute to it... $30 is really not much. I'll definitely try it if my Bip breaks.
Only significant issue that I've had with EndeavourOS/Arch is when I had a laptop with it installed and didn't update for like 6 months because I rarely needed it. When I went to do a full update, it really messed multiple things up. There were just too many massive changes at once. I just shrugged and reinstalled with the newest ISO, but if I had heavily customized it or something, I would have been pretty annoyed. Ever since then I usually install it with BTRFS and auto pacman snapshots.
Also, never perform partial upgrades unless you know what you are doing. That's apparently the fastest way to mess things up. I played with this before and it definitely will break things.
I mainly use kdenlive, but blender has some advanced filters and features that kdenlive doesn't yet, so I have to use both.