I like the boldness of the new colors, but they’re also very reminiscent of the French tricolor. I kind of prefer the first flag for its distinctness, even if I prefer the colors of the new flag.
The first one seems ‘friendlier’ for lack of a better word. I think I have to agree with your conclusion.
I’m a fan of darker shades on flags, I’d say it’s best to pick colours a touch deeper than you’d think when designing a flag. It stands out better when flying against the daytime sky.
Probably also helps with older flags that start to loose their color
Differently feels like a different flag
Longer flag looks nice, it look better when waved in the real world