My thought is that Expo prioritises web compatibility too much to the point that it leans into conventions with things like navigation that are web-oriented and these contribute towards an app not feeling like a native app.
Probably the first "we adopted x" blog post that I can find relatable and spot-on.
I think it's one of the big misconceptions that React Native is _the_ path to get your web devs or even existing code onto mobiles. That's how you get the criticism that RN builds bad, mouldy apps.
Between our clients that have had this issue with quality and shops in the same space as us that haven't (one who boasts a review on one of their apps being "an example on how to build a proper fully native app"), having a good portion of native devs on the team is a big differentiator. Unfortunately this means a RN Team isn't as cheap as some hope.
>During boot, for example, even modern Windows boxes show a BIOS screen followed by a brief blinking cursor before the Windows graphics mode takes over.
This hasn't really been the case for more than 10 years now. EFI based systems will boot without changing display modes. Some hobby custom PCs might have compatibility modes enabled, but any laptop or prebult system is going to go from logo to login without flickering.
Statements like that pop up in quite a lot of programming blogs like these, they used to annoy me more until you realise it's less gloating and more naivety from the 16-21 age bracket with less "professional" experience.