Samsung has silently expanded its 2.5-inch SATA SSD lineup, as a new 8TB storage variant of the 870 EVO has been spotted by ComputerBase. The 8TB SSD with model number MZ-77E8T0B is reportedly available across various retailers in Europe with prices starting at €1,300 (about AUD$2,100), which is roughly twice the current price of the 4TB version.
Samsung does not currently list the 8TB model on its own website; however, upon inquiry, the company shared an official data sheet with the outlet. The drive represents a quiet addition to Samsung's consumer storage portfolio at a time when the company faces mounting pressure to allocate manufacturing capacity toward higher-margin products for artificial intelligence and data centre workloads.
The newly introduced 8TB variant is expected to deliver similar performance, including sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s and write speeds of up to 530 MB/s, with an upgraded 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM cache. This represents a substantial increase in cache memory compared to the 4TB model, which typically ships with 4GB of DRAM.
The timing of this release signals a complex market dynamic. NAND and DRAM prices have been at an all-time high due to limited supplies and growing demand primarily from the AI and data center sectors. The 870 EVO series was originally introduced five years ago as the successor to the widely popular 860 EVO. At launch, it was offered in capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB and had quickly become one of the go-to choices for reliable SATA storage. Although the industry has shifted towards faster NVMe SSDs, the 870 EVO still holds relevance for users who are running older PCs and laptops or for mass storage in NAS setups.
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. The existence of measurable SATA demand in the consumer market complicates the narrative around the technology's relevance. Yet Samsung's approach to the 8TB variant, which bypasses the company's official marketing channels, reflects broader hesitation within the industry about committing resources to SATA when faster, higher-margin NVMe storage commands stronger margins.
Recent reports suggested Samsung might wind down SATA production entirely to focus capacity on AI-era memory products. Samsung disputed this claim, with a spokesperson saying the "rumour regarding the phasing out of Samsung SATA or other SSDs is false." The 8TB model's appearance supports that denial, though the silent launch suggests the company remains ambivalent about SATA's role in its future portfolio.
For organisations and users still dependent on SATA drives for mass storage or legacy system upgrades, the 8TB option provides additional capacity where none previously existed at retail. The premium pricing reflects current market conditions more than anything distinctive about the drive itself. European availability at this point does not guarantee swift rollout to Australian retailers, and pricing will likely adjust once broader supply chains stabilise.