TCL has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics in a U.S. federal court in Los Angeles, alleging that Samsung marketed a range of televisions under its “M Model” series as Mini LED products despite the sets allegedly using conventional LED technology.
The lawsuit centres on how Samsung described the disputed televisions to consumers. According to TCL’s court filing, the M Model sets are based on Samsung’s standard LED platform and do not incorporate the backlight architecture associated with Mini LED displays.
TCL argues that describing the televisions as Mini LED could lead consumers to expect the picture-quality benefits typically associated with the technology, including improved contrast and dynamic range.
“Samsung’s false advertising misled consumers who wanted the higher picture quality associated with Mini LED televisions into buying a falsely labelled product,” said R.C. Harlan, an attorney for TCL, in a statement included in the filing.
The case also highlights the growing competition in the premium television market, where Mini LED has become an increasingly important differentiator among manufacturers. TCL’s filing argues that Mini LED technology can deliver higher contrast and greater dynamic range than conventional LED displays. The company also claims that it established a strong position in the U.S. Mini LED television category between 2023 and 2025 through a combination of technology and pricing.
According to TCL, Samsung introduced its M Model range earlier this year at price points below TCL’s Mini LED portfolio. TCL alleges that the positioning could allow Samsung to compete using the Mini LED label without employing the underlying display technology.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction preventing Samsung from describing the disputed M Model televisions as Mini LED products. TCL is also seeking financial damages, with the amount to be determined through the legal proceedings.
The dispute comes as television manufacturers increasingly use technologies such as Mini LED, QD-Mini LED and other advanced backlighting approaches to differentiate their products in a highly competitive display market.
TCL said it will continue investing in its Mini LED, QD-Mini LED and SQD-Mini LED technologies while maintaining that consumers should receive accurate information about the display technologies used in the televisions they purchase.
