If you're considering getting the iOS 18 public beta, keep in mind that all first-party apps have been updated with advertised beta features, and everything is stable for the most part . . . except for the Photos app. It crashes frequently, enough that I submitted a complaint about it. The app isn't unusable, but I can attest that it crashes at random and inconvenient times.
And the system hasn't recieved power optimizations yet, so expect added battery strain if you do.
They really stumbled with the photos app redesign. The app was actually really good as it was, in my opinion.
I can agree that the redesign was slightly disruptive, but I don't feel that I can speak for the general public on the issue, given that I use my photo library as an archival system rather than as a conventional photo library.