Earlier this month, a class action lawsuit was filed in the US against Hisense USA, accusing the company of misleading consumers by advertising its QLED TVs as using quantum dot technology. Now, similar allegations have been leveled at another TV maker, TCL.
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Quantum dots are nanoparticles of semiconductor materials, such as cadmium selenide or indium phosphide, with a diameter of 2–10 nm. Their size determines the wavelength of the transmitted light, and their behavior under the influence of electromagnetic radiation is subject to the laws of quantum mechanics. Due to this, QLED panels provide a wider color gamut and higher brightness than conventional LED screens.
Hisense and TCL are accused of either not using quantum dots in their QLED TVs or using them in such small quantities that they have no effect on picture quality. The lawsuit against TCL North America was filed by Californian Stephan Herrick. He bought a 55-inch TCL Q651G QLED TV on Amazon last year, believing that a TV with quantum dots would provide better picture quality and richer colors.
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However, the purchase did not live up to expectations, and after reviewing the specs, Herrick concluded that the TV he purchased either did not have quantum dots at all, or that there were too few of them to make a difference in picture quality. In his lawsuit, Herrick argues that if he and other consumers had known about this feature of TCL TVs, they would not have paid so much or purchased them in the first place.
«”TCL is engaging in fraudulent practices designed to defraud consumers. These practices have caused TCL QLED TV owners to suffer losses by paying unreasonably high prices,” Herrick said in a statement.
On the East Coast, a similar lawsuit against Hisense was filed by New York resident Robert Macioce. He purchased a 43-inch Hisense QLED TV at a Best Buy in November 2023. Macioce claims the manufacturer misleads consumers by advertising its TVs as using quantum dots. The lawsuit alleges that the TVs either lack quantum dots entirely or have so few that they do not affect picture quality.
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The lawsuits accuse TCL and Hisense of deception, as they claim consumers were tricked into paying large sums for TVs that do not actually live up to their claims. It is also worth noting that a similar lawsuit was filed against TCL in South Korea by local company Hansol Chemical, which independently tested several TCL QLED TV models and found them to be missing key quantum dot elements such as indium and cadmium. Hansol filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission of South Korea, in response to which TCL published the results of its tests, claiming that the company’s TVs contain the materials mentioned in the complaint, including 4 mg of cadmium per kilogram. According to experts, this figure is so small that its use is unlikely to affect picture quality.
As a result of the lawsuits, TCL and Hisense may face not only fines, but also serious reputational damage. If the plaintiffs succeed in court, the companies may have to pay compensation to affected customers and reconsider their product promotion strategies on the market.