Yeah, certainly much easier to assemble especially if it comes pre-trimmed. Their goal was to make it about the same amount of effort as an OT kit. It looks like a bit of accuracy may have been lost to make it so, but I'm guessing for many it's a trade-off that is worthwhile.
TK4205 has excellent ones made out of flexible rubber that has magnets applied, and TrooperBay sells plastic ones. I guess we'll have to see when the pauldrons come out how they are.
OK, so the kits are on sale. This is a great thread to share your thoughts on the kit, e.g. pricing, accuracy, etc.
https://www.anovos.com/collections/first-order-stormtrooper