I couldn't get file transfers to work. It was a while ago so there might have been a Bluetooth version mismatch or something. I didn't bother troubleshooting it much because WiFi is more convenient for me anyway. I'll give it another try.
Quick aside: there are a lot of wireless headsets that simply suck on MacOS. I have a pair of Sony XM4s that I can run with 990kbps audio on Linux that are stuck at 330kbps, barely connect half the time and auto-open Apple Music every time they connect for some godawful reason. I think Apple's desktop audio experience is getting really so-so. Pretty much their only advantage is CoreAudio at this point, and even that's shaky when you compare it with the likes of PipeWire...
Gotcha. I’ve not tried that many either, and occasionally it took some wrangling, but it’s always worked. (Also I may be forgetting a time when I tried but succeeded using something besides Bluetooth)
I definitely use my macbook with non-apple hardware. From headphones to laptops to android phones.
My first Macbook used to pair with a Nokia E72 to get internet via the GSM modem, I used it every day on the train.
Two weeks ago I connected an old Oneplus One via bluetooth to my macbook (2020 mbp) to get some old photos from its internal memory.
What doesn't work?
EDIT: actually, I'm not sure I ever connected a laptop to a macbook, but I have a linux laptop so I can try it if you want.