Last updated: September 28th, 2026 at 17:15 UTC+02:00


TCL sues Samsung in the US over false advertising for Mini LED TVs

Not the first time these companies have faced off in court.

Adnan Farooqui

Reading time: 2 minutes

Samsung TV Mini LED Backlighting System

Samsung

TV

Samsung's Mini LED backlighting system for TVs

TL;DR

  • TCL has sued Samsung in a US court, alleging false advertising over Samsung's Mini LED TVs.
  • TCL says Samsung's Mini LED sets are really standard LED or repackaged Crystal UHD TVs, which hurt TCL's sales and market share.
  • TCL is seeking to block sales of the specific model in the US and to recover damages.

TCL, one of Samsung's biggest rivals in the TV segment, has sued the company in a US court over claims of false advertising related to Samsung's Mini LED TVs. The lawsuit has been filed against Samsung Electronics America in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

This isn't the first time the two companies have gone to court in order to obtain an edge in their competitive advantage, and it certainly won't be the last.

It seeks an injunction restraining Samsung from selling the Mini LED TVs

TCL claims in its lawsuit that Samsung's Mini LEDs are essentially the same as normal LED TVs. It claims that Samsung marketing those TVs as Mini LED models hurts TCL sales and dents its market share.

The lawsuit further claims that Samsung has repackaged its entry-level Crystal UHD products and sold them advertised as Mini LED TVs, as they lack the relevant Mini LED technology.

Samsung priced its offering below TCL's cheapest Mini LED TV, and its Mini LED TV sales increased about fourfold in less than three months following the launch. TCL also claims that it had overtaken Samsung in the US Mini LED TV market from 2023 to 2025 based on the strength of its pricing power, but it lost market share after Samsung introduced these allegedly repackaged TVs.

The Chinese company is seeking an injunction from the court that would prevent Samsung from marketing and selling the specific Mini LED TV model in the United States, in addition to damages.