It seems like you didn't notice this was about React Native, the cross platform mobile app framework.
So "just write plain html" isn't a valid alternative unless you want to write a Progressive Web App instead. Which means you:
- Forego the App Store and need to ask users to bookmark your website
- Loose ease of access to device features (cameras, sensors, push notifications)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VbMt_4STWIo
As the other commenter said, it may not be as "native" as you'd like.
I remember using the Hey app and being amazed at how well it worked (and this wasn't Hotwire Native at the time, I think) and I'm kind of sensitive to mobile apps not working as expected.
I don't know anything about React Native aside from my dislike for the complexity of React and how it perverts web operability, not to mention it is epically overkill for most use cases.