[Faeryink]

I have both Ipad Pro 12.9 (2nd gen with Apple Pencil, and Paperlike screen protector installed) and Onyx Boox Max 2 Pro (4 GB RAM, Boox screen protector installed, official wacom passive pen).
I read a lot of pdf and online materials on my Max 2 Pro e-reader. One of the problems you may have is the ability to annotate on the browser. It is possible on the ipad of course, but on the Max 2's browser its not an option. Its fine as long as I am ONLY reading the file in the browser and don't want to annotate it. One of the shortcomings of Onyx is we can't have two apps side by side open, let's say browser in one and a notepad/word document in the other. I have requested this feature so many times from Onyx but no joy so far. On the Ipad no problems you can sideload notes etc alongside the browser.
The workaround I have for working on the Onyx e-reader is to save the web page as a pdf or epub (on my Macbook) and then transfer it to Onyx and use the side notes option.
The application of Paperlike screen protector on the Ipad makes the writing experience a lot better and I also use several digital painting and drawing apps on it. Its reliable and its big. I use Night Shift to cut out the blue light and it makes it a bit easier to work on the Ipad.
I prefer the Max 2 Pro for taking notes and reading. I write over 20 pages a day and work on my novel writing etc. Its not easy to write code on, but I am a beginner (lack of colour coding). Ipad Pro (12.9) is still a good option. I suffer from eyestrain so I find the Onyx e-reader help me a lot. But obviously the capabilities of the Ipad are impressive. I find that the battery on my Ipad drains fast as its power hungry. While Onyx Max 2 Pro the battery lasts a lot longer and it charges more rapidly than my ipad.
In my opinion both Ipad Pro and Max 2 e-reader have their strengths and weaknesses. The writing experience is somewhat down to personal taste, some people prefer the heavier Apple pen to write with while some prefer the texture and feeling on the Max 2. For writing I find Max 2 Pro a nicer experience. I am also fairly content watching youtube/videos in VLC etc on my e-reader, I primarily use Ipad only when I need to work with colour (art work, tutorials which rely on colour highlighting, some art/science books with colour illustrations). In terms of productivity, surprisingly its Max 2 Pro again, and I get double the amount of work done as there are fewer distractions.Perhaps not having the ability to open 2 apps side by side on the Max 2 is a blessing in disguise.
Most people want front light on the e-readers, I don't. I find my eyestrain is worse with front-lit e-readers. So I am holding on to my Max 2 Pro for a very long time as unfortunately most e-reader companies are being forced to develop front-lit ereaders. The research undertaken showed that the benefits of unlit e-readers (which means you would require ample ambient light) surpass that of front-lit e-readers. Yes, sure front light is more convenient but it also comes with a cost. I had to return my frontlit e-reader to Amazon few months back as my eyestrain worsened. In the future, I hope Onyx will release analogous models without and without front light, so we have more choice. Rather than being forced to follow the choice of the majority of the customers.
I would recommend getting a reading light if you would go for the Max 2 Pro option. It helps a lot and also to fine tune the contrast and DPI of 3rd party apps to suit your preference. It takes some weeks to experiment with the e-reader and I do use it as my primary device.