I love it. Not sure not sure why you have to lie it flat? Maybe you just hate your case, if you’re using one? My case isn’t the apple one, which didn’t seem protective enough.
Before this, I had the old first gen pro model, and this one feels much more sturdy. I love watching movies on it, and DH uses it for drawing (with new pencil).
I didn’t bother getting the keyboard, as I never really used the old one. The screen on this model is plenty big enough to type on without feeling cramped.