Chances are: they are there on smaller keyboards too. It might not be in the usual spot while also hidden behind a layer but its there.
This used to be a showstopper back when most of the available keyboards are not fully customizable firmware-wise. With the advent of QMK and VIA(L) on a lot of readily available keyboards, however, you can pretty much put any functionalities anywhere on any layer(s) you see fit.
Might have something to do with tap hold configuration, though im not sure which one. This applies to almost all key interactions in qmk, so its worth to at least understand the underlying principle.
You can check the better explanation here