I read programming books side-by-side with Blink ssh'd into a remote server. I find the experience pleasant. For other reading, it depends. I do a lot of gaming and so I have a lot of PDFs, two-page view or split view of different materials is very nice since I can read them without needing to zoom in. OTOH, if I'm just trying to read fiction or something then a smaller tablet (Kindle Fire, in my case, that I bought to replace a defunct iPad a few years ago since I just wanted a reading device) works better for me. I knew it was a stretch, but I was really hoping for an upgraded iPad Mini.

I recommend you the 2 TB 5G version for 2400 USD + the 150 USD Apple Pencil + the 350 USD keyboard, so in total 2900 USD for reading PDFs.

Best regards :)

I read textbooks on my standard entry-level model iPad (eighth generation). It's a pretty good experience. PDFs fit on the screen decently well and I can annotate with the pencil.

ePubs are nice too, since they can reflow.