If I were a "philosophercater" (excuse my Bush-speak), I would think AM
performance on a transceiver would be not of much concern to the
manufacturer, so the performance may not be as good as what you would
find on a receiver. I'd expect no drawbacks in sideband.

Transceivers get a bit hotter since you have more circuitry. It follows
that they draw more power. Not that much of a big deal unless the
transceiver uses a fan.