The layout is called "Ortholinear", it can be a pain but personally I find handy for lots of things where you don't have that muscle memory like keypads and other accessory input devices. Its frustrating how hard it is to find inexpensive keyboards using the layout, its uncommon so its understandable they cost more. Lately its been a bit of a niche in the customised mechanical keyboard market.

Normal staggered layout also matches that the operator's hands are at an angle to the keyboard in a normal position. It's an ergonomic version of the ortholinear layout lol.

(Maybe that's less relevant on a tiny device?)

Oh ok I thought it was staggered because the typewriter rods had to go side by side.

I don't think Ortholinear is bad as such.. It's just that I don't want to learn a new layout.

But on a tiny device it is less relevant, true. Because muscle memory and touch typing doesn't really play a role there.