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| Samsung 870 EVO SATA 2.5-inch solid-state drive pictured alongside retail packaging |
A major shift in the solid-state drive market appears to be on the horizon, and it could have serious consequences for anyone looking to buy storage in the near future. According to industry leaks, Samsung, one of the world's largest memory manufacturers, is preparing to wind down its SATA SSD business entirely—a move that analysts warn could push prices up across the entire SSD category.
The claim comes from Tom of the popular hardware-focused YouTube channel, Moore’s Law Is Dead, who told viewers in a recent report that multiple sources across distribution and retail have independently confirmed Samsung’s long-term exit plan for SATA SSD production. The leaker argues this move has the potential to be far more disruptive to consumer pricing than Micron’s recent decision to end its Crucial-branded consumer RAM lineup.
This report surfaces amid other significant news from the memory sector. Just recently, it was detailed that Samsung has already begun increasing DDR5 memory prices by up to 60%, signaling a broader industry pivot away from the aggressive discounting seen in recent years.
The Unlikely Staying Power of SATA SSDs
For tech enthusiasts, SATA SSDs have long been considered a legacy technology, overshadowed by the blazing-fast NVMe drives that connect directly to a motherboard's PCIe lanes. Yet, despite the declining interest among PC builders, SATA SSDs remain a retail powerhouse.
A quick glance at the bestseller lists on major platforms like Amazon reveals that SATA drives still command a noticeable share of sales, particularly in the budget-friendly and system upgrade segments. They are the go-to solution for adding fast storage to older laptops or desktops, and for cost-sensitive builds where a motherboard may lack extra M.2 slots.
According to Tom’s analysis, roughly 20% of Amazon’s top-selling SSDs are still SATA-based, with Samsung's 870 EVO and QVO drives making up a significant portion of that list. It’s this persistent volume that makes Samsung's exit so significant.
Why Losing Samsung Could Tighten the Whole Market
The core issue, as explained by the leaker, isn't technological relevance—it’s supply. SATA SSDs still represent a massive volume of shipped units. By removing a major supplier like Samsung from this segment, the overall global supply of SSDs shrinks.
Tom explains that this creates a simple supply-and-demand problem: fewer total drives on the market puts upward pressure on prices, not just for the remaining SATA drives, but for NVMe drives as well, as buyers and market dynamics adjust.
For a deeper dive into Tom’s sourcing and reasoning, you can watch his full report on the Moore’s Law Is Dead YouTube channel.
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| Samsung SATA solid-state drive in a slim black enclosure |
This aligns with recent commentary from memory industry veteran Dave Eggleston. In a podcast conversation with Tom, Eggleston suggested, while answering an audience question, that NAND SSDs could be the next PC component to see significant price increases.
More Than a Rebrand: A Real Supply Reduction
Tom stresses a critical distinction: Samsung's move is not a simple rebranding exercise. His sources indicate that Samsung plans to end SATA SSD production entirely after fulfilling existing contracts, rather than continuing to supply the same NAND flash chips to other consumer brands under different labels.
This represents a genuine reduction in finished goods supply. Furthermore, the prospect of SATA SSDs becoming harder to source could trigger panic buying among system integrators and businesses that still rely on the interface for upgrades and repairs, potentially amplifying short-term price spikes.
Why It's "Worse" Than the Micron-Crucial News
To understand the scale, Tom contrasts it with Micron's decision regarding its Crucial consumer RAM. He describes that move as "largely symbolic" for overall market supply. Micron, like Samsung and SK Hynix, is a giant memory chip supplier. Even without Crucial-branded kits, Micron’s DRAM continues to flow to consumers through a multitude of third-party brands like G.Skill, ADATA, and Corsair.
Samsung exiting the SATA SSD business is fundamentally different. It removes an entire category of finished, consumer-ready products from one of the world's largest NAND suppliers. The impact is direct: it affects how many drives are available, not just who is selling them. This, Tom argues, is why the Samsung move is potentially "worse" for consumer choice and pricing.
The Road Ahead: A New Era for SSD Pricing
Looking to the future, Tom cites industry forecasts suggesting that the current pricing pressure may ease around 2027. This potential shift is expected to be driven by new demand cycles, including the rise of local AI workloads and next-generation gaming consoles, which will require fast NVMe SSDs and large amounts of RAM, pulling manufacturer focus back toward consumer hardware.
However, he offers a sobering caveat: while the broader SSD market may see prices fall again in a few years, the golden era of incredibly cheap, high-capacity SATA SSDs—especially from a top-tier brand like Samsung—is likely over for good. For consumers, the message is clear: if you’ve been considering a SATA SSD upgrade for an older system, the best prices may be behind us.