See, I thought it might have been my tablets being cheap things.

But messing around with that borrowed iPad (possibly a Pro, the person who lent me it was filthy rich and likes premium stuff) made me go "... This is like, a high quality laptop but worse in every way?"

The screen was drop-dead gorgeous, and it was clearly a powerful (if locked down, cuz Apple) device -- but it felt like everything I tried to do on the device was in some major way a compromise to accomodate for a less-than-ideal form factor.

Same. I used to make fun of them as they're 'too big' for mobile stuff but too small for computer stuff, but after getting a killer deal on a Tab S7+, it's super useful for casual games, watching youtube/plex, drawing, and web browsing. It's also great to use in the kitchen while cooking or doing other stuff