Today, nearly every airline pilot is issued an ipad; it's become the norm. In general aviation, they're very common, and with the ability to get aeronautical charts in an electronic format, the ipad is nearly unbeatable for cockpit organization. You can use the same ipad for charts, studying, documentation, searches, weather, and even navigation purposes. Applications have flight calculations (E6B...performance calculations) and many other functions and features, including radio and instrument training programs, test preparation, aviation regulations, The ipad is a lot easier to carry than the bulk of all the things it can supplement or replace.

More capability is better than less; I find that a 256 gb memory is better, or more. My company-issued, and my personal ipads are both 256 gb.

I'd check apple, for apple refurbished, before buying new. The hardest part of learning to fly is paying for it, and it's expensive these days. An ipad is a wise investment, as is a good headset.