So, no. Well maybe now... But not really.
It's because it works as an IM client. When you send high resolution pictures and videos it doesn't send as MMS. Therefore nothing is compressed and things send as fast as your internet connection allows. You're also able to have IM chat features. So renaming group chats, adding people to the chat, removing people from the group chat, integration with gifs, stickers, etc... Just a bunch of fun and useful features that make texting other people with Apple devices fun and better.
Now many of those features are available in apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Those apps are pretty popular outside of the US. But in the US, the main means of communication is through texting within the default app. When I text someone with an Android phone (or any other device if people are still using non-Android and non-iPhone devices) it sends over SMS and MMS. Those are archaic means of communication that are still popular here because texting was mostly "free" compared to other countries. Everyone had it, so everyone used it. SMS and MMS compress videos and photos as well as fukk up long messages by possibly putting them in different orders depending on your network and phone.
Ideally, something like RCS would become popular here, Apple and every other OEM would adopt it and this issue goes away (as far as quality of pictures, videos, and long messages go). But until them Apple has their method and everyone else has theirs. Luckily for those of us in the US (or maybe not so depending who you are) the iPhone is the most popular phone in the country, so it a decent chance you're texting someone with an iPhone.