still a qr fan, wheel changes are much quicker also, at the high price point buyers want thru axle, most others don’t care - there are some great deals on qr wheels around -esp high end xc wheels to be had for cheap
more importantly does the 1x bike have sram groupo, being able to run mtb cassette without any mods is a very big win, esp if you are keen on 1x, i would rate those twice as important as qr/12mm -if it’s shimano maybe the 2x is better? i have a feeling both run shimano, a mate just picked up a silex -he loves it for the price/groupset versus most other brands - he did comment it’s fairly racey -i’d compare with giant tcx, not super comfortable - made for speed. choose your front ring carefully - i have 3 that i swap around if need be, a 46t oval for long bitumen/gravel, a 38t normal ring (w 11-34 rear) , i’ll also swap in a 34t ring if i’m racing a really heavy clay cross course, or climbing something like buller/baw baw
fyi i had a carbon comax, perfectly reasonable bike but i just couldn’t like it -ride seemed dull, bike felt lifeless, don’t know why, i flipped it quickly, was light, cheap well specced -the wishbone shape felt good, also had generous clearance