No ipad mini for years is sad. Why not even bit of upgrade to ipad mini. I don't understand.
I used to have an iPad Mini that I used for reading and light consumption (along with a MacBook). Over time, I went back to an e-ink device for reading, as it's much easier on my eyes (very noticeable after a day of staring at screens at the office). Now I have a Kindle and an iPad Pro.
My wife used to have a Mini as well, for the same reason. Now she either uses her MBA for consumption or a Kindle for reading.
Basically, we found the Mini's biggest strength (small size) was good for reading, but e-ink is better. And for movies/surfing/etc, we both prefer an 11 or 13" screen.
And with phones getting ever larger, the gap between iPhone Pro MegaXL+ and iPad mini isn't much.