Compact ducted unit vs air handler for a ducted heat pump system – GreenBuildingAdvisor

I’m figuring out a heat pump system for my house. Most likely, a fully ducted system in an attic.

Looking into specs, I see that for the same outdoor unit, efficiency and minimum heating capacity is sometimes better paired with a (mid static) compact ducted unit vs a typical air handler. The compact seems to be a cheaper piece of equipment as well.

Assuming the indoor unit is sized correctly for the house design load and is connected to a duct system that is within static pressure specs, are there any big pros/cons here?

I can see the smaller footprint of the compact might be needed in some cases, or that it’s easy to integrate heat strips into the air handler.

I’m not sure if I’m missing any performance or practical aspect here.