My humble opinion and it is what I did last year with no regrets, I went aluminum frame with higher end components on my trail bike Orbea Oiz H10. The main decision was the fork and shock on the aluminum were so much above and beyond the comparable priced carbon. Unlike a drivetrain which wears out, the fork and shock are staying.
I’m an experienced rider and could have afforded the Carbon with equal components as the aluminum if I wanted, but I also knew regardless of which bike I got I would buy an upgraded wheelset and that would have made the carbon bike waaay more than I wanted to spend. I still keep up and have just as much fun as my friends on high end carbon.