Grabbed an iPad Mini 6 off eBay for $245 from Surplus Design. Even though it was labelled used, looks basically new with only a very minor scratch on the screen that I can see. Even seems to have warranty until Feb 2027 somehow. Took about a week of bidding on various listings from them, but at least they post daily. (I had a mental $250 price limit)
I've generally kept an Alldocube Android tablet around in the living room but even the newest one I bought last year is having touchscreen issues already. A reboot fixed it, but I suspect it'll end up like my older one and stop working shortly.
But this iPad is technically 5 years old already, so I suspect software updates will eventually cease. Upgraded it to iPadOS 26 though so hopefully it lasts for at least a couple years!