re: What’s a good A/C brand that y’all would recommend?

Shop first for a quality installer over the brand of equipment - there is no consensus that any one HVAC manufacturer has superior equipment over another. There are 5 HVAC manufacturers in the USA that produce over 75 brands of HVACs, but of course there are different grades/quality of HVAC equipment within each line. Trane=American Standard, Carrier=Bryant, Rheem=Ruud, Goodman=Daikan.... and by equal I mean these brands are basically identical units made in the same factory with the same components, with just a different color paint and name on the unit - but you’ll typically pay more for the most widely known name. For example, you may pay more for a Trane than an American Standard although the equipment might be identical.

I’d want a unit made/assembled in the USA vs Mexico.

Ask if the installers if they conduct a manual J heat load to size the unit for your square footage of conditioned area. 3.5 tons sounds to be way over-sized for 1600 sq ft unless the house is old, leaky (air infiltration) and has poor insulation. You likely need no more than a 3 ton, and likely smaller, but that what the manual J heat load calculation tells you. Here is a free calculator you can use LINK to calculate it yourself. Many installers will just quote you replacing the size unit you already have, or use a 1 ton per 500 sq ft rule of thumb - that’s not the proper way to size the unit you need for your house.

The biggest problem HVAC techs say they see with homeowners with home comfort issues is oversized HVAC equipment (tonnage) with undersized ducts.

Good luck - maybe you can find a quality HVAC company that has installation techs that look like Hailey Outland.