▲ Samsung Electronics' 2026 new TV lineup (File Photo)
China's largest TV manufacturer, TCL, has filed a lawsuit claiming that it lost market share due to false advertising by Samsung Electronics regarding its "Mini LED" TVs.
Reuters reported on the 1st (local time) that TCL filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeking a ban on Mini LED technology labeling and monetary damages.
In its complaint, TCL claimed that Samsung took cheaper models that were not Mini LEDs from recycled product lines and sold them to consumers as attractive, reasonably priced Mini LED models.
The company pointed out that while Samsung is currently advertising that it has applied Mini LED technology to its M-model TVs, those models actually contain none of the technological advancements of Mini LEDs and are merely recycled conventional LED TVs.
A lawyer representing TCL stated, "Samsung's false advertising misled consumers who wanted the high picture quality of Mini LED TVs into purchasing falsely labeled products," adding, "It wrongfully harmed TCL's sales, reputation, and valuable technological prowess."
Mini LED TVs are Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) based TVs densely packed with LEDs measuring 100 to 200 micrometers (㎛) around the backlight acting as the light source, and are characterized by improved contrast ratios and color reproduction compared to conventional LCD TVs.
TCL first introduced them to the market in 2019, and Samsung Electronics also began releasing them in 2021. Currently, Samsung ranks first in market share, surpassing TCL in the North American Mini LED TV market.
Reuters reported that it reached out to Samsung Electronics for a statement but did not receive an immediate response.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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