TCL has initiated legal action against Samsung in the United States, filing a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles that accuses the South Korean electronics giant of falsely advertising some of its televisions as employing "Mini LED" technology. The complaint, filed on Monday, centers on Samsung’s M Model televisions and contends these sets were marketed as Mini LED products despite lacking the associated technological features.
In its court filing, TCL alleges Samsung "took a cheap, non-Mini LED model from a recycled product line and peddled it to the public as a 'supreme' Mini LED model at an attractive price point." The company contends that Samsung advertised the M Model line as Mini LED at price points below TCL’s lowest-priced Mini LED offerings, while the sets themselves "contain none of the technological advancements associated with Mini LED technology" and are effectively "recycled" versions of Samsung’s standard LED televisions.
According to the lawsuit, TCL credits Mini LED technology with delivering a "substantially better picture with greater dynamic range and higher contrast ratios," and says it overtook Samsung in U.S. Mini LED television sales between 2023 and 2025 because Samsung had not previously produced Mini LED TVs at competitive prices. TCL said Samsung launched its M Model televisions in March at prices undercutting TCL’s cheapest Mini LED sets, then presented those M Models as Mini LED devices.
TCL’s attorney R.C. Harlan said in a statement that "Samsung’s false advertising misled consumers who wanted the higher picture quality associated with Mini LED televisions into buying Samsung’s falsely labeled product, unfairly damaging TCL’s sales, goodwill, and valuable technology in the process." TCL is seeking a court order to prevent Samsung from using the Mini LED designation for the disputed models and is asking for an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
Spokespeople for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The suit frames the dispute around product labeling and consumer expectations for a particular display technology. TCL’s filing identifies a claim of competitive harm tied to market share and brand reputation in the U.S. Mini LED segment, and requests judicial relief that could include both injunctive remedies and damages. The complaint describes the contested M Model televisions as lacking the expected Mini LED engineering advances that TCL says are responsible for the improved picture characteristics associated with that technology.
As presented in the complaint, TCL’s allegations focus on the specific models at issue and the marketing around them, without additional claims about broader corporate strategy or intent beyond those marketing and product-design assertions. The company asserts direct consumer harm from alleged mislabeling and claims that the conduct eroded TCL’s sales and goodwill in the Mini LED market.