Number one NAND flash manufacturer Samsung Electronics has now announced the upcoming introduction of, no, not a new SSD, but a high-capacity 1.8-inch hard drive. Part of the Spinpoint N3U family, the new 250GB HDD has two 125GB platters, a working speed of 3600 RPM, 8MB of cache, and unlike most offers, it ditches PATA and SATA and uses a native USB connection interface.

"The new high-capacity 1.8" 250GB drive enhances Samsung's product offerings and is ideal for consumers who require a small form factor, high capacity data storage," said Choel-Hee Lee, vice president of marketing Storage System Division, Samsung Electronics. "It is easy to carry around and it is designed to withstand a free fall drop of up to 50 centimeters and be resistant to a maximum shock incident of up to 1500G."

Claimed to consume 40% less power than 2.5-inch drives, the Spinpoint N3U series 120, 160, 200 and 250GB HDDs are set to start shipping to OEMs from mid-July. Apparently the 250GB model goes for $199.