If the downgrade soc means no hdmi output from the usb-c port then its a very different machine they’re designing and selling.
personally I came to this through XDA, whose motives I trust, and had to think long and hard as I have previously lost nearly £400 to the block watch some years ago.
now if I’m being offered a low mid-range without Ubuntu touch external display and no guarantee of the other os’s, then if I ever get mine I’ll just be selling it straight away.