I recently picked up a Red Plus 4TB from Amazon and it was listed as an ‘2026 Model’ and ‘Amazon Exclusive’ with a model number of WD49EFZZ-SPCPAN0. Is this just a regular WD49EFZZ? Are there 2026 models? They seem to be out of stock in a lot of places also.
Thanks
Did you ask Amazon? Sounds like they have made a deal with WD that they can be the only ones to sell that model resulting in the name Amazon Exclusive.
Plug the serial number into this warranty checker and tell us what you see:
https://support-en.wd.com/app/warrantystatusweb
We don’t need to know the serial number, just the specs. It may be listed as OEM.
Interesting idea, it’s reported as
WD RED PLUS CRML2D 5400 128M SATA3 6GB/S 4.0T 4HD AMAZON SINGLE PACK
I guess WD are the only ones who will be able to tell me if there is any physical difference in the drive (I very much doubt it).
Obviously it is reporting 4 heads. The family is CRML2D, which I think is a 2-Disc Carmel. That suggests that it is a standard retail model with possibly only cosmetic firmware customisations.
You can search for Carmel here:
https://firmware.hddsurgery.com/index.php
https://firmware.hddsurgery.com/index.php?manufacturer=Western%20Digital&family=Carmel
That database only has the 2TB single disc version.
I suspect that WD took a standard 2TB Carmel drive and added a second platter, or maybe they took a standard 4TB drive from a different, physically compatible family and used Carmel firmware instead.
Edit:
Is there an R/N number on the label, or a 2060-8nnnnn number on the PCB? That will enable to find other models that use the same PCB.
The part I’d add is that “2026 Model” is not evidence of a new hardware generation. WD’s model number is the important identifier, and WD49EFZZ-SPCPAN0 appears to be an Amazon specific SKU or packaging variant of the WD49EFZZ family, not a separately documented 2026 drive. The SPCPAN0 suffix is likely there for sales or regional identification rather than indicating different mechanics. I’d check the actual label and WD warranty lookup for the drive’s date and serial number rather than relying on Amazon’s “2026 Model” wording. Also, the recent shortage does not by itself mean a new generation has launched. WD’s own community currently lists an “Amazon Exclusive” WD Red topic, which supports treating that wording as a sales channel designation rather than a new Red Plus generation.
The model number suffix has 3 parts. The first 2 characters are the customer ID, the next 3 are the drive’s family, and the last 2 are the Customer Configuration Code.
https://www.acelab.ru/dep.pc/doc.pc3000dos/060713.001/WD-main-N-2.pdf (page 2)
Normally, this would be …
SP – customer ID
CPA – family, Carmel2D
N0 – Customer Configuration Code
FWIW, WD40EFZZ uses the 2060-810070 PCB:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71r5K8HrJ6L.AC_SL1500.jpg
The same PCB is used in WD23PURZ-85C5HY0. That belongs to the CRMLRP2L family – CarmelR Plus 2 Lite (2 heads).
I doubt many here read Russian
