Ultrabooks are set to make a big splash in 2012, the thin but powerful form factor clearly a huge advantage for those who need to remain portable. The one snag is the expense, however it has been suggested that AMD is looking to produce a powerful and light cheaper alternative that will launch this year in direct competition to Intel's Ultrabook.

According to a Digitimes report, the new super-light laptop from AMD will carry its new Trinity APU, as opposed to Ultrabooks which carry Intel's hardware. There is also suggestion that the AMD offering will be around 10 - 20 per cent cheaper than the Intel Ultrabook form factor.

On the whole AMD-powered hardware has been cheaper than the Intel equivalent so the news that it will be going down this road is no massive surprise, but what it could do is create some healthy competition within the market and so drive prices down sooner than you might expect.

There is also a suggestion that we could see these devices as soon as June this year; so if any of this report comes to fruition it should be a lively year for the laptop, especially considering the many new Ultrabook additions Pocket-lint saw at CES 2012.