Well, it’s decidedly a mixed bag:

In other words, the 850 EVO falls into the infamous middle-class. It doesn’t have an obvious niche in the market because it’s too expensive for the value-oriented buyer and it’s not fast enough to be considered as a competitive high-end SSD. If Samsung shaved $30 to $50 off the price, the 850 EVO would be competitive against the other value drives because the five-year warranty and Samsung’s top-of-the-class software suite add some value, but with the current pricing there are just better options on the market.

That’s unfortunate, because Samsung SSDs have all been pretty good lately. Looking at the bright side, this may be a great opportunity to pick up one of last year’s excellent 840 EVOs instead, which have dropped quite a bit in price by now.

I own two 840 EVOs myself (both the 250GB model), which I used to upgrade my iMac and my MacBook Pro a few months ago, and I couldn’t be happier with them. I can recommend them without hesitation if you don’t want to wait for the 850 EVO, or if you don’t feel like paying the $30-$50 premium it currently commands.