Why is bare HDD still so exp

[micheloving]

The thailand floods has long past but bare hdd is still so exp .

It seems cheaper to buy branded external 3.5/2.5 hdd with enclosure.why is this?

 

[Piezoq]

It was reported post-flood that the big boys had signed multi-year contracts with the big OEMs to guarantee HDD supply at inflated prices. I guess those agreements have not expired.

There is also the 4-5 TB density barrier which no manufacturer has seemed willing to tackle for consumers.