This Compact Digital AI Notebook Is $100 Off 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. 

When Amazon launched its first Kindle all the way back in 2007, it set off a brand new e-reader business. But as the technology has progressed, now you can use E-Ink displays for way more than reading. There are now digital notebooks, too, but as you might expect, they tend to be a little larger and a lot more expensive than an e-reader. The Kindle digital notebook is 10.2 inches and usually goes for well over $400, for instance (although it’s currently discounted for Black Friday).

That’s where the iFlyTek AiNote Air 2 comes in. This digital notebook is smaller, at 8.2 inches, and thanks to a Black Friday deal, is now $399 ($100 off its usual price). But, unlike the Scribe, it also comes with built-in ChatGPT access—no subscription required—for AI features like translation and speech-to-text notes.

That makes it a bit more like the Viwoods’ AiPaper E Ink Notebook than the Scribe or other competitors like the Remarkable Paper Pro. And that’s great news. Lifehacker editor Joel Cunningham gave the AiPaper 4/5 stars in his review, but it’s still not for everyone, coming in at a large 10.65 inches and having an MSRP of $549 dollars (it’s also slightly discounted for Black Friday, but stock is going fast).

Lifehacker hasn’t gone hands-on with the AiNote Air 2, but aside from being smaller and more affordable, it also introduces a 5MP camera, which could be useful when interacting with ChatGPT. It adds a speaker, too, so you won’t need headphones to listen to audiobooks. It also comes with a stylus.

Alongside the additions, though, there are a few compromises. Storage is capped at 32GB, and the battery is smaller than the AiPaper’s, at 2,600mAh rather than 4,100mAh. The resolution is also a little less sharp, at 293PPI vs 300PPI, but this might be less noticeable on the smaller screen.

It’s definitely a more generic take on the product, but the core functionality is here, and it could be a suitable, more compact, and more affordable alternative to people who want to take AI-assisted digital notes on the go. It’s also received praise over on Reddit, where one user called it “the closest experience to writing on a nice pad of paper with a smooth rolling pen I’ve ever experienced.”

How long do Black Friday deals really last?

Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025. 

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.