I Review Digital Notebooks, and Five of My Favorites Are on Sale for Black Friday

Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

Over the past year, I’ve reviewed so many digital notebooks for Lifehacker that my wife now rolls her eyes when she sees me running to the door to meet the UPS delivery person—probably because it’s slightly ironic that I, a somewhat disorganized person who never used to write anything down, am devoting a lot of attention to devices built for organized people who love to write stuff down.

And yet! I’ve now put so many of these things through their paces (and spent so much time scouring their brand-specific Reddit communities), that I have lots of capital-O Opinions about what makes a good one. Therefore, I hope you’ll trust me when I tell you that if you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on one of these productivity machines, Black Friday is a great time to do it, because five of my favorites are currently on sale. Depending on your needs, I think you’d be happy with any of them.

The reMarkable 2 is one of the granddaddies of the modern digital tablet space. When it was released in 2020, it offered an unparalleled paper-like writing experience, a crisp 10.3-inch e-ink screen, and innovative options for organizing your notes and sharing them between devices. Even five years later, it’s a great option (though if you need extras like a front light and color, you’ll want to go for the upgraded reMarkable Paper Pro from 2024). Right now the reMarkable 2 is available for $529 ($70 off the usual price) in a bundle with the Marker Pro stylus with eraser and a leather cover, or you can pick up a refurbished model for additional savings.

The reMarkable Paper Pro is the reMarkable 2’s younger but somehow bigger brother, offering an 11.8-inch Canvas color display with a front light, plus all the same killer organizational and cloud-sync features as the older model. It’s currently $749 (that’s $50 off) in a bundle with the Marker Pro stylus and a leather cover. If you’d rather have a cloth cover, that bundle is a bit cheaper, at $729.

Boox Note Air 4C

The Boox Note Air 4C was supplanted this year by the Boox Note Air 5C, but considering the devices are nearly identical save for the connector pins on the back of the latter that let you attach a pricey keyboard cover (sold separately), you might prefer to save $30 and go with the 2024 version. Either way, you’ll be getting what I think is the best all-around digital notebook for most people, with a color screen with a temperature adjustable front light, a great writing experience, a versatile open Android OS, and Google Play Store access.

Boox Note Max Bundle

With a massive 13.3-inch Carta 1300 black-and-white display, the Boox Note Max is the biggest digital notebook you can buy. It’s also one of the sharpest looking—the lack of color and front lighting is arguably a benefit, as it leaves nothing between the outer glass and the inner display, making the writing experience feel that much smoother and more paper-like. (Through truth be told, I mostly use mine for reading manga.) You can currently get one for $50 off in a bundle that includes a stylus and a folio cover—or spend an additional $35 and get the leather keyboard cover instead (considering the keyboard goes for $140 on its own, this is a great deal).

Viwoods AiPaper Bundle

Boox and reMarkable are among the biggest names in e-ink notebooks, but in 2025, the Viwoods AiPaper came out of nowhere and challenged their dominance. This AI-forward tablet has a great writing feel (if not quite on par with the reMarkable devices, it’s at least an equal to Boox), Google Play access, and clever software that makes adding AI to your note-taking and research workflows pretty seamless. During Black Friday, it’s more than $80 off in a bundle that includes a cover and the updated Viwoods Stylus Pro.

What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?

Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog. 

Are Black Friday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. 

Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?

Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.