Honestly, the post-iOS 7 look looks much, much cheaper. I've always wondered how Johnny Ive got away with icons that look like they were designed in 5 minutes with GIMP. Everything is just a disgusting gradient weirdly cut off by the squircle like a "Download now" scam ad on a shady late 2000s piracy website. Not to speak of the icons that have zero consistency. They don't have the same margins, elements, styles, degree of complexity or anything in common really. It looks like they've been jumbled together from 4 different free svg icon packs. What the hell is that "Health" icon? Have you seen the abomination that is the settings icon?

The default app layouts and visuals of samsung devices really don't do them any favors.

You'll find older folks leave it basically default. If you hide some of the ugly samsung app icons, it instantly improves tenfold.

That being said, I only have a samsung because the s22 is the smallest flagship you can buy.

The cheapness is in the eyes of the beholder because in reality it is only cheap compared to iPhone.

That's pretty funny, I always associate the weirdly grey iOS look with cheapness. Probably has to do with how all the crappy apps and websites try to copy iOS for some reason. I guess it's all a matter of what you're used to.