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Samsung has just released its sleek 1.8” 120 GB HDD. It’s roughly the size of a credit card and it is part of the SpinPoint N2 lineup. EverythingUSB informs that these HDDs will be integrated in Appple’s upcoming iPods and MacBook Air notebooks.

The small form-factor device has proven to be an incredible power saver, yet it manages to perform quite well for its size. Thus, preliminary tests conducted by Samsung pointed out that the 4200-rpm USB drive only draws less than 1.4W and needs just 300mA from a 500mA USB port. That practically means that this HDD has a power consumption level only one-fourth that of a 2.5" drive.

Samsung further claims that the 4,200-rpm HDD is capable of read speeds up to 27MB/s and writes data at 23MB/s, which are on par with high-end flash drives. Prices for the new 1.8” lineup are a bit high: the 40GB version retails for $161; 60GB for $191; 80GB for $235 and 120GB for $29. Compare that with a $120 320GB USB 2.5" drive that is prone to become even cheaper. As always, the smaller they get, the deeper you have to dig in your pockets, but hey, the 1.8-incher fits inside your wallet too.