Do you mean the Cutie Mark Crew?
I consider it to be both. Most have eyes that are black beads with a single eyelash and were released post-reboot G4. There was a small lull, and then a few were released with G4.5 style eyes later on. I guess it's like a Ponyville situation where it bridges a gap. Unless I'm misremembering, there's only one set with the new eyes.