I guess this has been said before but I want to reiterate it here.
The 3 button navigation is simpler, much faster than gestures and less prone to input errors than gessure navigation.
It’s easier to use the phone one handed when using 3 buttons especially considering the size of phones nowadays.
The only real downside to the 3 button bar is the space it takes away from the screen. I can’t deny you get better immersion due increased screen size and gestures being intuitive (for me at least.
With that said I understand that depending on the brand the feel of gestures and their quality can vary (like between a pixel phone and a xiaomi device), but in terms of efficiency (and maybe slightly improved battery life due to less animations) and simplicity the 3 button navigation is still miles ahead.
It is less prone to input errors. That’s true, but all other points I disagree with. Gestures are faster on a larger device, because you don’t have to relocate your fingers. Additionally they are easier to use on a larger screen for the same reason.
It’s just what you are used to and I don’t like that gestures are not as intuitive as buttons (worse UI/feedback), but they do work better overall and that’s a fair tradeoff.
It took a few attempts and switching back and forth until it really clicked, but it is so much better on a larger device.