Amusingly, you both are talking about the same thing. 4th Ed’s per-encounter/per-day mechanic was a very on-the-nose predecessor version of the somewhat looser x-per-short-rest/y-per-long-rest type stuff that some classes get in 5E. 4E was also much more concerned with an extremely tight and predictable numerical progression up to Very Big Numbers, and each class needed to ensure that their to-hit, damage/turn, AC, and saves kept up with the critters appropriate to the party’s level, so there was def some of that “everything is same-y” feel to it.
Personally, I thought that 4E was a fabulous tactical mini combat game. Which, like, I never want to play such a game ever again so long as my life because I find tactical combat in TTRPGs to be dreadfully boring, but also, I think 4E did very well at it.
5E loosens things back up to a nearly AD&D 2E level in many respects, while incorporating a lot of the smarter game design elements WotC learned through 3/3.5 and 4E. It’s got its own internal balance, too, but a much simpler one than 4E’s rocket-powered escalator: banded accuracy means that no one’s AC or to-hit is ever gonna reach statospheric levels, so even the lowliest goblin can get lucky sometimes and sneak a hit on an expert fighter. . . he just probably won’t do nearly enough harm to cause an issue. Now, 50 goblins, on the other hand. . .
I don’t really like 5E much at all these days, but that’s more due to how agonizingly burnt out I am on high fantasy d20-powered combat-fests masquerading as collaborative storytelling. Give me Fate or PbtA or FitD or NDNM or give me death!