Prime Day 2025 has arrived, taking place from Tuesday, July 8, until Friday, July 11. Lifehacker is highlighting the best deals based on thorough product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking insights. To stay updated on the latest sales, readers can follow our live blog.
For a curated selection, check out our editors’ picks featuring top discounts on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, to receive the best deals directly in your inbox. If you’re new to Prime Day, we have an informative guide to help you navigate the event. Keep in mind that sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and stock may change.
Despite my disorganized tendencies, this past year has seen me testing a variety of productivity-focused notebooks and tablets. The best among them have genuinely inspired me to improve my note-taking habits. I had high expectations for the XP-Pen Magic Note Pad, an LCD Android tablet boasting three screen modes that promise a transition from full color to e-ink. Surprisingly, its standout feature is as a drawing tablet, even though I lack artistic skills myself.
Currently offered at a 41% discount, the price of the Magic Note Pad has dropped from $440 to $260, making it an excellent purchase for those who can actually draw.
One of the key attributes of the Magic Note Pad is its innovative “X-Paper” screen, which seems to be a rebranded version of TCL’s NXTPAPER display. With a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz, it competes well against standard tablets—despite the entry-level iPad only offering a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. The device features an etched surface that reduces glare and includes three distinct color modes that can adjust at the system level, facilitating its transition from a vibrant LED tablet to a monochromatic e-reader.
Users can easily toggle between:
1. **Nature Color Mode**, representing typical LED colors,
2. **Light Color Mode**, which softens bright whites and mutates colors similarly to a color e-ink reader,
3. **Ink Paper Mode**, designed to emulate a grayscale e-ink display.
However, it’s important to note that the display cannot truly mimic an e-ink screen just through color adjustments. The device is TÜV SÜD Low Blue Light Certified, reducing blue light exposure by 25%, and it carries a Paper Like Display Certification for a more comfortable reading experience. While the etched screen helps diminish glare and is easier on the eyes in dim conditions, it remains an LED tablet, struggling with sunlight readability despite the various display modes.
Many digital artists enthusiastically endorse the Magic Note Pad on platforms like Reddit and YouTube, praising its responsive stylus. The XP-Pen stylus offers a remarkable 16,384 levels of pressure sensitivity—four times that of the Apple Pencil—affording artists greater control over their creations in a digital format.
At its current price drop, the Magic Note Pad stands as a good value proposition even for non-artists. Originally priced for artists at $440, it is now accessible at $260, making it worthwhile as a stylus-compatible Android tablet suitable for note-taking, reading, or streaming media. Equipped with a Mediatek MT8781 octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and an 8000mAh battery, it supports several days of regular use and includes a front-facing camera for video calls.
For those seeking alternative Prime Day deals, retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot are running competitive sales, particularly advantageous for shoppers without an Amazon Prime membership.
