What 4G hotspot/dongle device have you found to be the best? I read a discussion some days ago on #tribe for this device: https://www.amazon.in/TP-Link-TL-MR100-Wireless-Parental-Controls/dp/B085PFRFKX/ But, I don't think this is rechargeable and the power source need to be from outside. Hence I don't see this to be ideal especially when travelling. There are products from Tenda, Coconut and Tukzer that offer 4G routing, apart from the obvious ones: Airtel MyWifi and Jiofy. Also, is it recommended to opt for dongles rather than a hotspot device when travelling? Mobile hotspot is definitely not an ideal choice because calls would block the internet.

To be honest if you want something really portable, I do not think any dongle will beat the performance of a phone. @wide-twilight-82330 might add technical bits but I have usually seen that to be the case. Routers like TP-Link one you linked are only when you have extra luggage space and are in rural parts. Then you might want to put those routers outside house even and use mini UPS. This all adds weight, different needs, different tools.

For short travelling purpose just use your phone's Hotspot mode. That will most likely give you the best performance over the cheap Hotspot routers. Most of the 4G routers do not support band aggregation but this is not much of an issue in rural areas where user density per cell tower is low, but still can be beneficial to get higher speeds. 4G routers with external antennae are best for rural use because high gain antenna help in catching weaker signal or improving the signal to noise ratio (SNR) which nets a higher internet speed than one without external antenna. https://remoteindian.slack.com/archives/C6M8YKK96/p1630895449071400?thread_ts=1626960609.128600&cid=C6M8YKK96