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Samsung announces the 860 Evo and 860 Pro as successors to the most popular SSDs ever

Samsung announces the 860 Evo and 860 Pro as successors to the most popular SSDs ever

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Out with the old, in with the new

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Image: Samsung

Samsung’s 850 line of SSDs has basically ruled as the most popular and reliable solid-state drive for most consumers since it was released back in 2014. And while Samsung has released a few incremental updates over the years to increase storage capacity, the company has announced the first true successor to the iconic 850 Evo and 850 Pro drives: the 860 Evo and 860 Pro.

As one might be able to guess from the incremental shift in the names, the new models aren’t a massive leap forward, but a more evolutionary advance for Samsung’s models. The biggest change is a shift from 48-layer 3D NAND to 64-layer 3D NAND, along with an updated MJX SSD controller, and LPDDR4 DRAM instead of the previous-generation LPDDR3 DRAM.

A more incremental update

Like before, Samsung is still selling both budget Evo models and more premium Pro versions of the 860. The Pro line offers slightly faster speeds and is rated for twice as many overall writes as the Evo line, largely due to the fact that it uses 2-bit MLC technology, instead of the slower, less reliable, but generally cheaper 3-bit MLC 3D NAND (also known as TLC, or triple level cell) in the Evo series.

All in all, it’s not the biggest update. If you already have an 850 in your computer, it’s probably not something you’ll want to rush out to get. But if you’re looking to pick up a new SSD, it seems worthwhile to pick up the updated 860 version.

The 860 Evo line is available in 4TB, 2TB, 1TB, 500GB, and 250GB capacities in a 2.5-inch size, as well as 2TB, 1TB, 500GB, and 250GB capacities for the m.2 form factor and 1TB, 500GB, and 250GB options for mSATA. Prices start at $94.99 for the 250GB model and maxing out at a hefty $1,399.99 for the 4TB size.

The 860 Pro comes in 4TB, 2TB, 1TB, 512GB, and 256GB sizes, and is only available in a 2.5-inch size. Prices range from $139.99 to $1,899.99.

Both models will be available later this month.