I've just started learning Mandarin and would say that the characters have been easier than I've expected. Within a week of starting, I could read a dozen characters from Mandarin-language packaging of food items. Learning the characters at the same time as the sounds for words seems to take about the same amount of time as just the sounds for me. And recognizing the characters is easier than recognizing syllables from audio unless the speaker is intentionally speaking clearly and slowly.
