18 hours Ago By David Richards
A new TV war has broken out between Chinese and South Korean TV manufacturers, with a US court set to play a key role over misleading marketing claims relating to QLED TV’s. Both TCL and Hisense have been slapped with legal documents that claim that they are misleading consumers by claiming that their QLED screens incorporate highly advanced quantum-dot technology when they do not. The Chinese claim that this is a “stich up” orchestrated by South Korean Companies who are losing business globally to the two big Chinese manufacturers who just happen to also manufacture TVs for the likes of Samsung, LG as well as Japanese brand Sony.
At stake is market share in the affordable premium and premium TV markets. Robert Macioce, a New York resident, filed a class-action complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing Chinese TV supplier Hisense of falsely advertising its QLED-labelled TVs as featuring quantum-dot technology when they either lacked it entirely or contained an insufficient amount of QD materials to improve performance. He has not said how he reached this conclusion or which testing lab he used to determine the claim.
A similar class-action complaint was also filed against TCL, in the Superior Court of the State of California. Macioce, who filed the lawsuit individually and on behalf of over 1,000 similarly affected consumers, purchased a 43-inch Hisense QD5 TV from Best Buy for in November 2023, according to the complaint. Stephan Herrick also filed a lawsuit against TCL, Herrick bought a 55-inch TCL Q651G QLED TV on Amazon last year, believing he was getting a TV with QD technology that would enhance colours and image quality.
B He also claims the TV either had no quantum dots at all or such a small amount that it made no real difference. His lawsuit argues that if he and other consumers had known this, they wouldn’t have paid as much—or might not have bought the TV at all. “TCL is committing fraudulent acts with the intention of deceiving consumers,” Herrick said, “Due to TCL’s business practices, owners of TCL QLED TVs have suffered losses by paying unjustly higher prices.
” Insiders at TCL USA have told ChannelNews that the entire campaign against their technology appears to be “An orchestrated campaign”. They claim that at this stage it’s not known who is funding the complainants or which independent laboratories are set to be used by the court to determine whether their claims are true. They are also pointing the finger at South Korean manufacturers who are losing TV share around the world to Chinese manufacturers.
What the courts are going to have to determine is whether QLED is a genuine premium TV technology that was developed to take on OLED technology used by South Korean manufacturers such as LG Electronics. QLED, or quantum-dot LED, TVs use a quantum-dot layer on top of light-emitting diodes to produce what TV manufacturers claim are more accurate and vibrant colours. Due to the complexity of the technology and the high cost of materials, QD-incorporated TVs are considered premium models.
Ironically both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are the top two sellers of QLED screens in the global TV market and have the most to lose if the cases are flicked by the courts. “Selling products based on false information is the same as deceiving consumers and must be corrected,” an industry official said. “The quantum-dot technology itself is complex, and QD materials are also very expensive.
” In a tit for tat battle South Korean TV manufacturers are also under investigation by Korean antitrust authorities for the same false marketing allegations, following a complaint filed by Hansol Chemical — a key supplier of QD materials to Samsung and LG — in November 2024. A Hansol official said. “Labelling LCD TVs without QD materials as ‘QD TVs’ can significantly damage consumer trust in the overall QLED market.
” It’sA new TV war has broken out between Chinese and South Korean TV manufacturers, with a US court set to play a key role over misleading marketing claims relating to QLED TV’s. Both TCL and Hisense have been slapped with legal documents that claim that they are misleading consumers by claiming that their QLED screens incorporate highly advanced quantum-dot technology when they do not. The Chinese claim that this is a “stich up” orchestrated by South Korean Companies who are losing business globally to the two big Chinese manufacturers who just happen to also manufacture TVs for the likes of Samsung, LG as well as Japanese brand Sony.
At stake is market share in the affordable premium and premium TV markets. Robert Macioce, a New York resident, filed a class-action complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing Chinese TV supplier Hisense of falsely advertising its QLED-labelled TVs as featuring quantum-dot technology when they either lacked it entirely or contained an insufficient amount of QD materials to improve performance. He has not said how he reached this conclusion or which testing lab he used to determine the claim.
A similar class-action complaint was also filed against TCL, in the Superior Court of the State of California. Macioce, who filed the lawsuit individually and on behalf of over 1,000 similarly affected consumers, purchased a 43-inch Hisense QD5 TV from Best Buy for in November 2023, according to the complaint. Stephan Herrick also filed a lawsuit against TCL, Herrick bought a 55-inch TCL Q651G QLED TV on Amazon last year, believing he was getting a TV with QD technology that would enhance colours and image quality.
B He also claims the TV either had no quantum dots at all or such a small amount that it made no real difference. His lawsuit argues that if he and other consumers had known this, they wouldn’t have paid as much—or might not have bought the TV at all. “TCL is committing fraudulent acts with the intention of deceiving consumers,” Herrick said, “Due to TCL’s business practices, owners of TCL QLED TVs have suffered losses by paying unjustly higher prices.
” Insiders at TCL USA have told ChannelNews that the entire campaign against their technology appears to be “An orchestrated campaign”. They claim that at this stage it’s not known who is funding the complainants or which independent laboratories are set to be used by the court to determine whether their claims are true. They are also pointing the finger at South Korean manufacturers who are losing TV share around the world to Chinese manufacturers.
What the courts are going to have to determine is whether QLED is a genuine premium TV technology that was developed to take on OLED technology used by South Korean manufacturers such as LG Electronics. QLED, or quantum-dot LED, TVs use a quantum-dot layer on top of light-emitting diodes to produce what TV manufacturers claim are more accurate and vibrant colours. Due to the complexity of the technology and the high cost of materials, QD-incorporated TVs are considered premium models.
Ironically both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are the top two sellers of QLED screens in the global TV market and have the most to lose if the cases are flicked by the courts. “Selling products based on false information is the same as deceiving consumers and must be corrected,” an industry official said. “The quantum-dot technology itself is complex, and QD materials are also very expensive.
” In a tit for tat battle South Korean TV manufacturers are also under investigation by Korean antitrust authorities for the same false marketing allegations, following a complaint filed by Hansol Chemical — a key supplier of QD materials to Samsung and LG — in November 2024. A Hansol official said. “Labelling LCD TVs without QD materials as ‘QD TVs’ can significantly damage consumer trust in the overall QLED market.
” It’s also not known whether Hansol Chemical who is also targeting TCL and Hisense have had contact with the complainants. A85N OLED TV by Hisense. Hansol Chemical commissioned SGS and Intertek to test some of TCL’s QLED TVs.
They claim that TCL TV’s do not contain any Cadmium or Indium. Hansol also filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in the US against TCL, saying that it falsely advertised its TVs as QD-LED TVs. Hansol singled out three TCL TV models: C755, C655 and C655 PRO.
“About 80 percent of all TVs sold globally are LCD TVs, with only a few premium models incorporating more expensive QD materials,” which Hansol supply. According to market tracker Omdia, 2.75 million QLED TVs were shipped in 2024, accounting for 10.
9 percent of total TV shipments. Samsung, the world’s largest TV-maker, remains the leader in the QLED TV market, securing 46.8 percent of the market share by revenue in 2024.
also not known whether Hansol Chemical who is also targeting TCL and Hisense have had contact with the complainants. Hansol Chemical commissioned SGS and Intertek to test some of TCL’s QLED TVs. They claim that TCL TV’s do not contain any Cadmium or Indium.
Hansol also filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in the US against TCL, saying that it falsely advertised its TVs as QD-LED TVs. Hansol singled out three TCL TV models: C755, C655 and C655 PRO. “About 80 percent of all TVs sold globally are LCD TVs, with only a few premium models incorporating more expensive QD materials,” which Hansol supply.
According to market tracker Omdia, 2.75 million QLED TVs were shipped in 2024, accounting for 10.9 percent of total TV shipments.
Samsung, the world’s largest TV-maker, remains the leader in the QLED TV market, securing 46.8 percent of the market share by revenue in 2024..
