All I've heard mentioned (rumored?) is the processor update. The current 9710 meets all your checkboxes.
I bought a 9710 earlier this month. I don't need the faster processor, the i9-11900H is more than quick enough for my needs (YMMV depending on your needs).
I have this quirk where I don't like to buy a laptop (or a car or a phone, for that matter) when it first comes out. I like to let the manuf work thru the initial bugs. So I waited about halfway thru the lifecycle of the 9710 to order it. The touchpad issue was history, the screen problems all behind it. If I waited for the 9720, I'd have to wait until year end again. But that's me.
Between the i9-11900H and the Kioxia SSD... plenty fast. I'd have to aftermarket a Sabrent to go faster, and honestly, for my needs, overkill.
One example: I convert a lot of FLAC files to MP3. Large files, processor intensive. I timed one conversion. My old XPS 15 (no slug... i7, SSD, made in 2016) took 2:25 mins to convert this one folder. My new XPS 17 took 24 seconds.
Good luck!