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Daniel; it is different in the sense that it calls native API's which even phonegap and Cordova have to do via a web view.. but it's still NOT native. It's still an entire app of JavaScript files interpreted by JSCore. It won't ever get featured.
You say OP can later transition to Swift and Java? That's not a transition at all. That's a complete do-over.. JS and Java/Swift aren't anything alike.. with React and ReactNative on top, there is no transitioning. If OP tried to "transition" to Obj-C they'd get rekt.
Most companies using react as a way to say: "Hey we can build you 'Native' apps that are cross-platform for half the cost".. 99% of the time that's false advertising. They hire these web-dev wannabe app developers that have no idea how apps work but try to build it like a mobile web page. It's cheaper to hire one WebDev to use react to build an app for iOS AND Android.. OP will have to learn React, JS, ReactNative.
Yes I've used it.. by force.. IMO, avoiding the main languages of the platforms in favour of "Easier" is a bad idea. As a beginner, OP needs to learn it like everyone else. There are no shortcuts. Learn the platform(s) instead of these third-party frameworks that "make things easier" and some unrelated language.