Hoppers have been collecting items faster since the 1.17 update.

Prior to version 1.17, dropping an item onto a hopper would typically allow you to witness the item visibly flying into the hopper before being picked up. However, since 1.17, the item is often picked up so rapidly by the hopper that it's rarely visible. I've provided two comparison videos: one illustrating the behavior in 1.16.5 and the other displaying the behavior in 24w09a.