I don't know. Just tried it on my OG Pixel. Maps loaded in about a second, and the search field activated instantly when I tapped it. So... maybe it is? Or maybe the Maps app on iOS is just slow?
On my Pixel 2, and the 1 before it, the Maps UI is sometimes weirdly jerky. Purely anecdotally, it feels like there is some blocking network IO on the main thread.