TCL has accused Samsung of falsely advertising some of its TVs as using Mini LED technology, claiming the rival manufacturer is selling standard LED sets under the more premium label.
The allegations come from a lawsuit filed by TCL North America in Los Angeles federal court. TCL claims Samsung’s M-series televisions don’t actually feature Mini LED technology and that the company’s marketing has “misled consumers and diverted sales from TCL’s genuine Mini LED televisions.”
According to TCL’s complaint, the issue centres on Samsung’s M series range and its similarities to the company’s existing Crystal UHD TVs. TCL alleges that the two line-ups are nearly identical and that the M-series does not make use of Mini LED backlights.
Mini LED is designed to improve contrast and dynamic range by using much smaller LEDs for the TV’s backlight, allowing for more precise control of bright and dark areas. TCL claims it pioneered the technology and launched its affordable Mini LED TVs in the US in 2023.
The company claims those TVs, including its QM models, subsequently helped it overtake Samsung in US market share and sales. TCL alleges Samsung didn’t have a Mini LED range capable of competing with its TVs on both price and picture quality, and instead repackaged its standard LED Crystal UHD television as the M series Mini LED.
There’s also an interesting sales claim in the lawsuit. TCL says Samsung’s Mini LED TV sales increased almost fourfold in less than three months after the allegedly misleading products went on sale.
TCL attorney R.C. Harlan said consumers depend on manufacturers to accurately describe their products, arguing that buyers looking for the improved picture quality associated with Mini LED could have been misled into purchasing Samsung’s TVs.
It’s important to stress that these are TCL’s allegations, rather than established findings that Samsung has sold TVs without Mini LED technology. The lawsuit will have to work its way through the courts before those claims are proven or rejected.
If TCL’s allegations hold up, it could also raise questions about how manufacturers label and market TVs using the increasingly popular Mini LED name. It’s another salvo in what’s becoming an increasingly competitive spat between TCL and Samsung as the former looks to overtake the latter as the number one TV brand.
The post TCL accuses Samsung of selling Mini LED TVs without Mini LED tech appeared first on Trusted Reviews.