I've never used the official reddit app so I can't say how they've changed over time in there, but on old reddit, they used to be (or still are?) similar to other posts and appeared at the very top of the page. At least that way they were unobtrusive and you didn't get a giant image unless you clicked on it.
Good on ya for never using the app. Only reason I did was because I was an Alien Blue guy. They gave free premium to all AB users for a long time so I never saw the ads and didn’t know any differently.
When that expired I def got punched in the face with subversive ads and it was bullshit. That was when I switched to Apollo.
These ads I’m seeing now are the modern equivalent of popups. It’s Reddit’s fuck you to me which I’ve returned in kind.