Ugly maybe. But incredibly more difficult to use, definitely. I really liked stock Android but Material You was all changes for design (which I personally hate, just like you) at the expense of efficiency.
Function over form, especially for something that is hidden behind a swipe. Android 12+ fucked up both.
Android 12+ is ugly as fuck. OneUI 5 is better.
Ugly maybe. But incredibly more difficult to use, definitely. I really liked stock Android but Material You was all changes for design (which I personally hate, just like you) at the expense of efficiency.
Function over form, especially for something that is hidden behind a swipe. Android 12+ fucked up both.