Hard tips are more efficient, so more speed as they aren't shock absorbers. Soft tips, at least while they are new or fresh, give more more spin with less effort. I believe having a harder tip is better, because efficiency, better feedback and speed control trumps a tiny bit of grip/spin any day.
Back in the day I used to play with the original Moori MH. Always been a fan of the simple Triangle tip and used many many of those....but in the last 10-12 years I have really grown to love my own milk duds. I soak and press Elk Masters to my liking. These are the best of the best I have ever used. They never mushroom, I can keep a dime radius on them almost indefinitely without reshaping, they are toward the hard side of the spectrum but unlike most hard tips, these hold chalk very well and don't glaze. I also love the hit feel, grip and sound. You don't get the "tink" of a super hard, or the "poof" of a soft...it's just right. They are also already "short" but not thin so right off the bat they are 'broken in' and I don't have that "pencil eraser" look at the end of my cue. It's all positives, no negatives.
Laminated tips are a gimmick.