Microsoft gave it a standard, and that was 1440p at 60 fps with the same graphical feature set as the Series X. This was communicated both in the media and Microsoft's own marketing materials.
There’s a lot of potential for next-gen games with the tiny Series S.
www.theverge.com
Unfortunately, in the early going it has not reached that standard. And it's important that one of the poster children for ray tracing, Control, doesn't feature it on Series S. The standard is real, and prospective Series S buyers should be aware of it.
It's fine to reevaluate a console for what it is, not what they promised, and still conclude it's a good purchase when all factors are taken into account. I only take issue with the idea that people are projecting an arbitrary standard onto it. That is simply false.