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If you’re waiting for SSD and hard drive Black Friday deals, I’d forget last year’s prices right now. A 2TB Samsung 990 Pro sold for $170 last Black Friday, and my target for it this year is about double that. So you could wait 4 weeks for a price that no longer exists, and pay more in the end.
My advice is simple. I’d buy only the capacity you need this year, and take a hard drive for backups and an SSD for anything you run or edit from. If you need it soon, I’d buy at or below the targets below during Black Friday week and not hold out any longer, because makers are still raising prices.
No storage brand has announced a Black Friday 2026 price yet. Black Friday is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30, and every target here is my own estimate.
Before the details, here’s how far things have moved.
SSD and Hard Drive Black Friday Deals at a Glance
A sale this year comes off a much higher starting price, so the discount can look normal while the price doesn’t. This is what each one cost last year and what I’d treat as a good price now:
| Product | Last Black Friday | My target this year |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung 990 PRO 2TB | $170 | $330 to $360 |
| Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB | $140 to $149, just before the sale | $295 to $325 |
| Samsung T9 1TB | $95 | $190 to $210 |
| WD Elements Portable 5TB | About $104, in one user report | $175 to $195 |
| Seagate Expansion 24TB | $240 | $550 to $600 |
| Synology DS225+ | $274.99 | $325 to $345 |
| UGREEN DXP4800 Plus | $559.99 to $594.99 | $560 to $600 |
NAS boxes have risen the least, and large hard drives and SSDs the most. Last year’s roughly $10 per TB on a big desktop drive is gone.
Why Storage Costs So Much More This Year
AI and data center buyers are taking most of the supply, and makers are in no hurry to bring prices down. These are the numbers I’d look at:
- NAND, the memory inside SSDs: TrendForce forecasts contract prices up another 15% to 20% in the fourth quarter. It says suppliers are holding back increases on PC SSDs, without giving a figure.
- A year of contract prices: a 256GB TLC SSD went from about $33.30 to about $134.20 between the third quarters of 2025 and 2026. That’s a contract price, and retail moved less.
- Hard drives: Western Digital’s average sales per TB rose 28% in a year, to $17.67. That’s a blended figure and not a retail price, and its management sees room for more.
- Crucial is gone: Micron ended the consumer brand, with shipments stopping in February. A cheap brand many people relied on is now just leftover stock.
You’ll also see WD_Black drives moving to the Sandisk Optimus name. One WD_Black listing already says it has been replaced, so don’t be surprised to find both names in the same search.
Should You Wait for Black Friday?
Yes for a few weeks, and no for much longer. A sale can still take 10% to 20% off, and Prime Big Deal Days in October put the Samsung T9 2TB about 19% below today’s price.
But I wouldn’t wait past Cyber Monday in the hope of a bigger drop, because nothing in the supply picture points to one. If your drive is failing or your project starts this month, it is wise to buy now and not risk your data for 15%.
SSD or Hard Drive?
This choice saves you more than any coupon. By today’s prices, an SSD costs roughly 3 to 9 times as much per TB as a hard drive.
- An SSD should be used for anything you run or edit from, such as your operating system, games and active video projects.
- A hard drive should be used for backups and media libraries, where speed matters less than cost.
- Neither should be your only copy. SSDs can lose data if left unpowered for years, and hard drives have mechanical risks. You should keep more than one copy and check them.
Best SSD and Hard Drive Black Friday Deals
Each target is my estimate, and most rest on thin evidence, so you should treat them as a guide. Listed prices change daily, so compare on the day.
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
The Samsung 990 PRO is the safe high-end drive for a main PC. The newer Gen5 9100 PRO 2TB has been priced close to it, so you should compare both on the day.
- PCIe 4.0 M.2, up to 7,450 MB/s read
- Last Black Friday: $170
- My target: $330 to $360
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB
The 990 EVO Plus is the one I’d buy for most people who need 2TB. Its listed speeds are close to the 990 PRO’s, and it costs less.
- PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 M.2, up to 7,250 MB/s read
- Just before last Black Friday: $140 to $149
- My target: $295 to $325
WD_Black SN850X 2TB
The SN850X is the gamer’s alternative, and I’d buy it only if it undercuts the 990 PRO. The line is moving to the Sandisk Optimus name, which has cost more so far.
- PCIe 4.0 M.2, up to 7,300 MB/s read
- 5-year warranty
- My target: $340 to $370
Samsung 990 1TB
The Samsung 990 is the value route if 1TB is enough, and it’s the cheapest current Samsung drive here. I found no price from last year for this model.
- PCIe 4.0 M.2, up to 7,150 MB/s read
- My target: $155 to $170, and $150 or under would be a strong price
Samsung T9 1TB
The Samsung T9 is the fast portable drive for video work and moving big files between machines. You need a 20Gbps USB port to get its full speed, or the extra money goes unused.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, up to 2,000 MB/s
- 5-year warranty
- Last Black Friday: $95
- My target: $190 to $210
SANDISK Extreme Portable 2TB
The SanDisk Extreme Portable is the rugged choice for travel and outdoor shoots. You should buy the new 2,000 MB/s model, because Amazon labels the older 1,050 MB/s version as an old model.
- Up to 2,000 MB/s, with drop and water protection
- My target: $345 to $375
WD Elements Portable 5TB
The WD Elements is the plain backup drive I’d buy for most people, with lots of space and nothing extra to pay for. It’s also cheaper per TB than the smaller drives.
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 and 5TB
- Last Black Friday: about $104, in one user report
- My target: $175 to $195
Seagate Portable 2TB
The Seagate Portable is the lowest-cost way to back up a laptop, if 2TB is all you need. You should check the 5TB price first, because a 4TB portable sold for less last year than this 2TB costs now.
- USB 3.0 and 2TB
- 1-year warranty
- My target: $105 to $115
Seagate Expansion Desktop 24TB
The Seagate Expansion is the large archive drive for a desk, and it had the lowest cost per TB of the big drives I compared. It also has the sharpest rise here, at more than double last year’s price.
- USB 3.0, and it needs wall power
- 1-year warranty
- Last Black Friday: $240 at Best Buy, so check there too
- My target: $550 to $600
Samsung PRO Plus 256GB microSD
The Samsung PRO Plus is a known-good card for cameras, handhelds and phones. This listing is the Sonic edition, which is the same class of card with different branding.
- UHS-I, U3, V30 and A2, up to 180 MB/s
- My target: $65 to $72
SANDISK Extreme 256GB microSD
The 245 MB/s SanDisk Extreme is what I’d put in an action camera or drone, with faster writes for little extra. It won’t run Nintendo Switch 2 games, because those need a microSD Express card.
- UHS-I, U3, V30 and A2, up to 245 MB/s read and 170 MB/s write
- My target: $58 to $65
Synology DS225+
The Synology DS225+ is the easiest NAS to live with for family photos and backups, thanks to its mature software. A NAS is a small always-on server for your files, and this one has 2 drive bays.
- 2.5GbE and 1GbE, Intel Celeron J4125 and 2GB of RAM
- 3-year warranty, and drives are sold separately
- Last Black Friday: $274.99
- My target: $325 to $345
UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus
The UGREEN DXP4800 Plus gives you far more hardware for the money, and it suits Plex, Docker and people who like to tinker. Its software is younger than Synology’s, and that’s the tradeoff.
- 4 bays, 10GbE and 2.5GbE, Intel 8505 and 8GB of DDR5
- 2-year warranty, and drives are sold separately
- Last Black Friday: $559.99 to $594.99
- My target: $560 to $600
Before You Buy a NAS
All the NAS picks here come empty, and the drives are now the expensive part. You should price the whole system, because the boxes rose far less than the drives inside them.
- Synology drive limits: DSM 7.3 lets 2025 models use third-party hard drives and SATA SSDs. M.2 pools and cache still need Synology drives, and you should confirm your model on Synology’s compatibility list.
- Pre-filled bundles: these exist, but you should compare them against buying the parts before assuming they save money.
How to Avoid Fake and Overpriced Listings
A shortage makes odd listings more tempting, and I’ve seen the same product name at wildly different prices in one search. A few checks will protect you:
- Seller: check that the “Sold by” line names Amazon or the brand, because I couldn’t confirm the seller on these listings.
- Exact model: read the capacity and generation, since old stock can look like a bargain.
- Fake cards: the worst ones report more space than they have, and you lose data when they fill up. You can test a new card with H2testw on Windows or F3 on a Mac while it can still be returned.
Storage Deals in India
India needs its own price check, because the ratios differ from the US and stock can be thin. Most of these sell on Amazon India, and the buttons above lead there where the model matched.
- Sale timing: Diwali falls on November 8, so festive sales may beat Black Friday. Amazon India’s Black Friday dates aren’t confirmed.
- SanDisk microSD: the India button leads to the 190 MB/s version of the Extreme.
- No India button: I couldn’t match a sensible listing for the SN850X, new SanDisk Extreme Portable, Samsung PRO Plus or UGREEN NAS.
FAQs on SSD and Hard Drive Black Friday Deals
Will SSD prices go down this Black Friday?
Sale prices should dip about 10% to 20% from today’s level, and I don’t expect them to get near last year’s. Memory contract prices are still rising, so I wouldn’t count on a bigger drop soon after.
Are external hard drives cheaper than SSDs?
Yes, by roughly 3 to 9 times per TB at today’s prices. That’s why I’d use a hard drive for backups and an SSD only for work you run from the drive.
Can I still buy Crucial SSDs?
You can buy what’s left. Micron ended the consumer brand and stopped shipping in February, though it says it will honor existing warranties. I’d buy one only if it’s clearly cheaper than the others.
Does a Synology NAS need Synology drives?
Not for hard drives or SATA SSDs on 2025 models running DSM 7.3. M.2 pools and cache still need Synology’s own drives, and you may see warnings.
Final Remarks
If you’re not sure how much to spend, I’d start with a hard drive for backups, since that’s the cheapest protection for what you already have. Then I’d add the smallest SSD that does the job and resist buying extra space you may need in 2 years.
I’d check prices around November 20 and buy by Cyber Monday if a drive is at or below my target. The other offers I track are on my Black Friday deals page.