Hisense Accused of No Quantum Dots in Its QLED TVs

Hisense USA is at the center of a lawsuit alleging that the company misled consumers by advertising its QLED TVs as using quantum dot technology. However, according to the lawsuit, its TVs either do not have quantum dots or do not have any effect on picture quality.

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Quantum dots are nanoparticles of semiconductor materials such as cadmium selenide or indium phosphide, with a diameter of 2 to 10 nanometers. Their size directly determines the wavelength of the emitted light, and their behavior under the influence of electromagnetic radiation is subject to the laws of quantum mechanics. Thanks to these properties, QLED technology provides displays with a wider color gamut and increased brightness compared to traditional LED screens. Sony introduced the first TVs with QD displays in 2013 in the Bravia series.

According to a 2017 study on quantum dot displays, QD-enhanced LCDs were 26% more efficient than OLED displays due to their increased color gamut. In marketing materials, Hisense claims that its QLED TVs with Quantum Dot technology can display more than a billion shades, providing improved color reproduction. For example, the description of the 43-inch QD5 series model states: “QLED Quantum Dot Technology greatly expands the color range, creating more than a billion individual shades.”

However, a class action lawsuit filed against the company in New York alleges that Hisense knowingly misled consumers by creating a false impression about the characteristics of its TVs. According to the plaintiffs, the company positions them as premium devices, selling them at an inflated price. The lawsuit also notes that Hisense made unfair profits by selling models with deliberately inflated characteristics. The plaintiff argues that, if consumers knew about the actual lack of QLED technology, they could have chosen other devices or refused to buy them at all.

According to the complaint, the issue affects Hisense TVs sold since 2017 under the QLED label. The models in question include the QD5, QD6, QD65, QD7, U7, and U7N. The plaintiffs claim that all of these devices either lack quantum dot technology entirely or have such a low concentration of quantum dots that they do not provide the claimed improvement in picture quality.

The lawsuit specifically points out that the average consumer cannot independently verify the presence of quantum dots in a TV. However, the lawsuit claims that the chemical process of their production leaves specific markers that allow their presence to be determined. At the same time, the court documents do not specify whether laboratory tests have been conducted to confirm or refute these accusations.