I struggle with gear, never happy, but I know when I can settle. I used to trade big time on EBay over 20yrs ago and if I wanted to try gear I was interested in, I would buy used and explore.
The CQ 18t Allen and heath mixer did not work for me, I found a killer deal on the smaller CQ but scored the 18t almost the same week. Came with a hard case, and paid about the same for the upgrade mixer. I had a couple issues live, not to mention a group I play with plugged one if my ev 30ms into the input instead of output that is next to it on the CQ, and fried the subwoofer, Took all summer at EV repair center on the east coast when I live on the west coast, only outlet for repair that is certified by EV. Not under warranty, repair was not too expensive.
I use the Zoom p6 now, sometimes the apogee symphony desktop. Both have good and bad attributes.
On the iPad Pro, with optional Magic Keyboard, you get another usb c suitable for a charger, I have tried a few solutions for usb port charging and having another usb for sound - this works the best, I use a special stand for iPod live, the robust Roland stand created for the the vg8 and spd drum units.