48 chainring with a 10 tooth cog on the AXS cassette is a higher gear than a 52-11 and it’s basically the same as a 53-11 (only .5 gear inch lower).
I’m not questioning whether a 48-10 is too low of a gear for you personally, but just want to clarify for others that it’s essentially the same as running a “standard” setup and provides a higher top gear than a mid compact or compact. People see those small chainrings and assume it’s lower, but it’s not. I’m a big fan of the AXS road gearing. I’ve got 46/33 chainrings that are a really good all around setup and I’ve got the 48/35 rings that basically go unused, but may make it on the bike for some races where there might be some fast downwind sections. Very few situations that matter where anyone under 5+ w/KG is is going to spin out a 46/33 w 10 tooth cog in the rear. I wouldn’t run it for a flat TT, but I can’t think of another situation where it’s going to be a meaningful limiter.
I really like the AXS 12 speed road gearing. Nice tight gear spacing and really good range. I prefer the shifting performance of di2, but SRAM works really well also and the gearing options are better with the extra gear. SLR7 e-tap would be my vote if it’s not breaking the bank.