<"...it's possible the smaller arrays will generate fewer vibrations, making for better long-term exposures.

It's more than possible. Everytime that Hubble makes the day-night transition, the thermal shock in the solar cells shake the whole telescope. The silicon cells are/were so thin that they have no bulk to moderate the temperature change. The result is that the flexable pannels flap as though in a breeze.

If you've seen the first refurb mission footage, the pannels that were removed weren't in very good condition. It'll be interesting to see how the current panels look.

According to the book "The Hubble Wars", this problem was well known by the folks who were flying the some 17 Keyhole class satellites at the time of Hubble's launch. Apparently they were unwilling to share lessions learned.