Design 1047, Scharnhorst and German construction experience

Would Germany have been better off with Design 1047 ships instead of Scharnhorsts?

Scharnhorst offered a useful industrial and design step beyond the Deutschlands, while any alternative would still face difficulties.

Any ships obtained in this counterfactual would still face serious difficulties. Scharnhorst was a solid design that built on the infrastructure developed for the Deutschlands. Its construction formed an intermediate step towards later ships. That industrial role matters when weighing the attractions of an alternative design.