"While you can still play in handheld mode, you now have the option of playing on a bigger TV screen while in docked mode. Given this new hardware, I've found it harder to make a new mainline Pokémon game than I had originally thought. Even as a Pokémon game on the Switch, does it still work? Is it possible for me to make all of those playstyles interesting? I think it's probably about five times harder than any of you could imagine! (laughs)" - Tsunekazu Ishihara
Yet it is being treated as a handheld game - see: https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/04/26/pokemon-sword-shield-nintendo-switch-handheld/
https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/01/05/pokemon-nintendo-switch-development-harder/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2019/01/03/tsunekazu-ishihara-explains-why-making-pokemon-for-the-switch-is-five-times-harder-than-you-think/#3f54a9b67362

If you don't think this gen is beta testing for Gen 9 then you are wrong. But fans will buy it since it is pokemon.