Saving this whole thread. So much good info here you guys are awesome.

Like someone mentioned, the consensus here is that the Amazon deal for under two hundred is the absolute best bet right now. I bought this exact model a while back for light browsing and streaming in bed. Honestly, it still works well after tons of daily use and I have zero complaints. Super satisfied with how the battery has held up over the years. Just to make sure you get the right setup:

• Do you need a lot of storage for downloaded movies, or is the base 64GB fine?
• Are you going to be using it mainly at home on Wi-Fi, or do you need cellular for traveling?

Honestly I am in the same boat trying to snag one for my nephew this week. Everyone here keeps talking about the 9th gen which is solid, but if you do end up grabbing one, just make sure you pick up a decent case for it. I dropped my Apple iPad 9th Gen 64GB Wi-Fi like a week after I got it and felt absolutely sick until I saw it was fine. Seriously just get a cheap sturdy cover from Amazon and save yourself the stress. Also dont bother paying for extra iCloud storage right away unless you really plan on downloading movies for offline use. Youll be fine with the base storage if you just use it for streaming and browsing like the others said.

Amazon has it currently on sale for $199: https://www.amazon.com/2021-Apple-10-2-inch-iPad-Wi-Fi/dp/B09G9FPHY6?t=t=5422-2 0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> https://www.amazon.com/2021-Apple-10-2-inch-iPad-Wi-Fi/dp/B09G9FPHY6?t=t=5422-20

Can vouch for this

Can confirm

Noted!