# Samsung 990 SSD launch amid pricing and supply issues > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/samsung-ufs-50-rollout-and-mobile-innovations > Updated: 2026-08-05T14:22:59.000Z. Sources: 82. Developments: 13. Samsung’s SSD rollout, which began with mass‑production of the PCIe 6.0 PM1763 on 13 July 2026, now includes the consumer‑oriented 990 SSD, a DRAM‑less PCIe 4.0 drive built on 280‑layer QLC NAND and a Piccolo‑Q controller. The 990 is offered in 1 TB and 2 TB capacities with sequential reads up to 7,250 MB/s, writes up to 6,450 MB/s, random performance of 700 k–850 k IOPS reads and 1.1‑1.2 M IOPS writes, and endurance of 400 TBW (1 TB) or 800 TBW (2 TB). Samsung prices the drive at roughly US $270/$530, with Indian listings at ₹25,649 and ₹50,349, and promotes up to 38 % lower power consumption versus the 990 Pro, along with AES‑256 encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0 and IEEE 1667 support. The drives are slated to reach stores in the last week of July 2026. Early reviews note fast game‑loading times—matching PCIe 5.0 drives in benchmarks such as a 6.3‑second load of *Shadow of the Tomb Raider*—and UK pricing of £430 for 2 TB and £220 for 1 TB. Mid‑July market data showed the 990 Pro 2 TB NVMe SSD falling to $389.99 from about $640, while other brands posted deep discounts. Additional developments include Samsung’s start of volume production of the PM1763 PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSD for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI platform (up to 28,400 MB/s reads, 21,900 MB/s writes, liquid‑cooling and post‑quantum security) and the simultaneous launch of the consumer 990 SSD. Subsequent coverage highlighted the 990’s gaming performance, further price cuts on the 990 PRO, and a UK price drop for the 990 EVO Plus to £249.99, underscoring ongoing pricing pressure amid a global memory‑chip shortage. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-05: SSD price drops highlighted in Australia and UK deals Australian MSI‑Kingston SSD bundle drops to AU$791, while UK Samsung 2TB 990 EVO Plus falls to £249.99, both offering high‑speed NVMe storage at reduced prices. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ssd-price-drops-highlighted-in-australia-and-uk-deals ### 2026-07-23: SSD price drops as memory shortage drives higher costs PNY’s 1TB SSD drops to $130 and Samsung’s 2TB 990 PRO falls to $390, offering top performance amid a memory‑chip shortage that has driven storage prices up. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ssd-price-drops-as-memory-shortage-drives-higher-costs ### 2026-07-20: Samsung 990 SSD praised for fast game load times despite lower specs Samsung's 990 SSD, a DRAM‑less QLC drive, delivers fast game load times (~6.3 s) and modest pricing, but lags in benchmark speeds and offers only a three‑year warranty. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-990-ssd-praised-for-fast-game-load-times-despite-lower-specs ### 2026-07-17: Samsung launches budget 990 SSD with QLC memory and PCIe 4.0 Samsung unveiled the 990 SSD, a budget QLC drive with PCIe 4.0, up to 7.25 GB/s read, 6.45 GB/s write, 1‑2 TB capacities, and 3‑year warranty, priced around $270‑$530. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-launches-budget-990-ssd-with-qlc-memory-and-pcie-40 ### 2026-07-15: Samsung launches 990 SSD with up to 7,250 MB/s read speed Samsung’s new 990 SSD offers PCIe 4.0 speeds up to 7,250 MB/s, 38 % better efficiency, 1‑2 TB capacities, three‑year warranty and US$269/$529 pricing, launching globally in July. 10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-launches-990-ssd-with-up-to-7250-mbs-read-speed-and-higher-price ### 2026-07-13: Samsung rolls out PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSD and PCIe 4.0 consumer SSD 990 Samsung starts mass‑producing its PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSD PM1763 for AI workloads and launches the consumer‑grade PCIe 4.0 SSD 990, praised for efficiency but criticized for high pricing. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-launches-pcie-60-pm1763-ssd-for-ai-datacenters ### 2026-07-07: Samsung starts mass‑production of PCIe 6.0 SSD for Nvidia Vera Rubin AI platform Samsung began mass‑producing its PM1763 PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSD – up to 28 GB/s read, liquid‑cooled and quantum‑secure – to supply Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI platform, with shipments slated for Q3 2026. 10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-starts-mass-production-of-advanced-ssd-for-nvidias-vera-rubin-ai-platform ### 2026-06-28: Samsung's UFS 5.0 storage likely skipped in Galaxy S27 Ultra launch Samsung unveiled UFS 5.0 storage with up to 10.8 GB/s speeds, but the upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra will likely keep UFS 4.0 due to rising memory costs and pressure on its mobile division, delaying rollout. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsungs-ufs-50-storage-likely-skipped-in-galaxy-s27-ultra-launch ### 2026-06-23: Samsung Launches UFS 5.0 Storage with 10.8 GB/s Speed for AI‑Enabled Phones Samsung unveiled UFS 5.0 storage delivering 10.8 GB/s, targeting AI workloads; mass production starts Q4 2026 with Galaxy S27 slated for early 2027. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-launches-ufs-50-storage-with-108-gbs-speed-for-aienabled-phones ### 2026-06-23: Samsung and O2 Connect launch new mobile technologies Samsung unveils faster UFS 5.0 storage chips, while O2 Connect in Slovakia rolls out shared mobile data for remote devices. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-and-o2-connect-launch-new-mobile-technologies ### 2026-06-23: Samsung launches UFS 5.0 storage, promising double‑speed and lower power for next‑gen smartphones Samsung unveiled UFS 5.0 storage with 10.8 GB/s read, 9.5 GB/s write speeds, 40 % lower power use and a smaller footprint, targeting on‑device AI and flagship phones like the Galaxy S27. 41 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-launches-ufs-50-storage-with-up-to-108-gbs-bandwidth ### 2026-06-22: Smartphone memory and storage technologies overview Smartphones use LPDDR5 RAM for speed and low power, while UFS flash storage (up to 4,200 MB/s) replaces slower eMMC; capacities now span 32 GB‑1 TB, with cloud backup increasingly common. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/smartphone-memory-and-storage-technologies-overview ### 2026-06-22: Samsung unveils UFS 5.0 storage chip; Xiaomi launches 17T with Leica cameras Samsung’s new UFS 5.0 chip, promising faster storage and AI performance for the Galaxy S27, and Xiaomi’s Brazil‑launch 17T with Leica cameras and a Dimensity 8500 Ultra processor were unveiled. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsung-unveils-ufs-50-storage-chip-xiaomi-launches-17t-with-leica-cameras --- Cite as: Samsung 990 SSD launch amid pricing and supply issues. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/samsung-ufs-50-rollout-and-mobile-innovations