Samsung Electronics has announced the launch of its new 1.8-inch 250GB hard disk drive – Samsung Spinpoint N3U, which sports a native USB controller right on its printed circuit board, eliminating the interrupt service time for bridge circuit board to convert PATA into USB signals, aiming for smaller foot print, less power consumption as well as optimized performance that ideal for portable storage devices.

Samsung Spinpoint N3U

In addition, Spinpoint N3U also eliminates possible points of failure due to loose cable connections, consuming about 40% less power compared to 2.5-inch hard drive of an equivalent storage capacity.

“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,” commented 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.”

The new Samsung Spinpoint N3U native USB interface device is expected to hit the market starting mid-July 2009 for a MSRP of $199.