I upgraded from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone 7+ when I got the Mavic. I wanted a slightly bigger screen and my batteries were shot on the 6. I've been happy with that. However...
....when I called ATT to order my 7+, they said, we have a promotion going for 99 cent tablets, how many would you like? "Excuse me?" I asked a lot of questions, even called back after order...there is no catch if you use them as wifi tablets, they are only 99cents. You commit to the same 2 year contract you would have anyway but don't owe any more money for the tablets even if you bail. If you turn on cell service they hit you with a $45 charge, which I'll never do. Wifi is fine, AND, I link it to my phone for wifi when away from home.
So here is the kicker, they are really nice tablets. I was expecting something cheaply built like the kindle Fires we got for the kids. This says "ZTE Corporation, Model K88" (Trek 2 8" Tablet HD) on the back, along with an ATT logo. It has a rugged non-slip back, nice camera, screen, microSD slot for memory expansion, all the normal Android features. I decided to keep one for me to use as a large Mavic screen when I want it, and the other is for the kids. It's a nice enough tablet that I should have gotten more of them at that price.
So, that's my tip. I did look at getting a small iPad first. Even looked into the refurbished ones on the Apple site. I was surprised how expensive they were. I'll rock this "free" one as long as needed. In most cased I use the phone but wanted the option of a larger screen for summer flying when I have a big glare and/or need to preserve phone battery life.
(This is the tablet on Amazon. If you have ATT, I'd recommend calling to upgrade any of your phones on the plan, and see if this is still offered. I suspect it is.)