I'm not the most experienced player, so take my advise for what it is
If you have a chance to play the ukes you're interested in, then let your hands, eyes, and ears be your judge.
The wood used have alot to say, no doubt, but it is hard to generalize how the instrument sounds, just by looking at what wood is used. Two of the same uke, from the same brand, might even feel and sound different.
Allso, think about what kind of life the uke will have. If you will use it for traveling, taking to the park, and so on, then a solid uke might not be the best choice for you, and you should think about laminate body with solid top, and getting a good case or bag for it.
If you are mainly going to use the uke at home and just want the best possible sound, then solid ukes made from thin and well aged wood might be best.
If you, like me, live at a place where the shops don't stock alot of ukes, and you don't think the lokal store have what you need, then i'd say you should buy from a shop that does inspection and setup before shipping the instrument. Even high end brands make mistakes and occasionally bad instruments.
I once wanted to upgrade to a high(er) end instrument and ordered a Martin from Thomann. The instruments neck was all out of place and the fretboard was uneven, so two of the frets was bend. From Thomann I allso get an Ovation uke, that had a bad construction and allso was returned.
I don't think a more "personal" shop would ship such an item.
In short :-D
You will find good ukes from both brands, and you really have to try them to tell what is best.
If you buy the uke online, then play it for a few days, without giving it a scratch at all, and if you are not happy about it for several reasons, then ship it back. If you like it but have minor issues with the setup or tone (to some extend), then it might be worth having a pro doing a new setup and then experimenting with other strings to find a tone that suits you better.
My best sounding uke is a Kala with solid spruce top and mahogny laminate body. It is stringed with aquila super nylgut low G. For some reason, this uke just puts out a clean, bright and balanced sound, that is superior to some ukes that cost two and tree times more. I'm shure, that I could buy another uke like my Kala, and recieve a bad sounding and cheap feeling instrument. Buying online has a high factor of luck to it
Anyway, I hope you find an amazing instrument that will be worth every penny