I've seen it alternate between releases. It gets slower for a release or two as they add features and then another release adds several performance improvements (and it is noticeable).

I was also initially very skeptical of the new UI, thinking it was purely a VSCode imitation that would remove power tools, but after using it for a few days I was converted - all of the power I used was still there, but now with a simpler and more efficient view (less clicks to find what I want, etc.).