TCL challenges Samsung’s Mini LED claims over M-series TV hardware
TCL is suing Samsung in the US, alleging that its M-series LCD televisions are misleadingly marketed as Mini LED sets despite lacking the hardware associated with the technology. The dispute matters to shoppers because manufacturers can define “Mini LED” differently in the absence of agreed standards, making comparisons between TVs harder.
TCL says the M-series, priced from $300 for a 43-inch model to $2,300 for a 100-inch model, uses software-based dimming rather than a full-array local dimming (FALD) backlight. FALD uses individually controlled LED zones to improve contrast and HDR picture quality, while software dimming adjusts the image without changing brightness across separate areas of the panel. Samsung says it intends to defend itself; its product specifications describe the M-series dimming as software-based, while TCL accepts Samsung’s Neo QLED models as Mini LED TVs.
- TCL alleges Samsung mislabels its M-series TVs as Mini LED.
- The M-series uses software dimming, not hardware-based FALD.
- The lawsuit highlights the lack of a shared Mini LED standard.
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Mini LED is a television technology using thousands of tiny lights positioned behind the screen, controlled in separate sections to improve picture quality. The term has become a marketing feature for high-end TVs, but without an agreed industry standard, different manufacturers use the label differently—which can confuse shoppers trying to compare models.
TCL and Samsung disagree over whether Samsung's M-series televisions should be called Mini LED sets. TCL argues they shouldn't be, because Samsung's models use software to adjust the picture rather than using separate physical zones of lights to control brightness across different parts of the screen.
For shoppers, this distinction matters because sets with separate brightness zones typically deliver better picture quality, with improved contrast and colour. Without clear industry standards, consumers may struggle to understand what they're paying for, especially when lower-priced models carry the same Mini LED badge as significantly more expensive ones.
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Originally published by Ars Technica as “TCL is right to question Samsung’s use of the term “Mini LED””.