Chinese companies that have seized the lead in the mini light-emitting diode (LED) TV market are ramping up product promotion lately, even to the point of twisting facts. They have drawn criticism for exaggerating performance or using wording that gives an impression different from the actual technology. Industry observers say this was influenced by Samsung Electronics, which initially led the market, boosting product competitiveness this year to quickly regain share, and by LG Electronics, a powerhouse in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TVs, stepping up its push into the mini LED market. The view is that Chinese companies, feeling a sense of crisis, are taking "overreach" in their promotion.
China's TCL recently announced in Korea that picture quality scores it assigned itself were results from market research firm Omdia. Earlier, it was criticized over product naming after selling models without red (R) LED chips as red, green, blue (RGB) mini LEDs. In Germany, a court found that ads for some TCL quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) TVs could mislead consumers, and China's Hisense was also drawn into U.S. class actions over the technical labeling of some QLED products.
According to recent data from Omdia obtained by ChosunBiz on the 31st, Samsung Electronics ranked No. 1 in the second quarter with a 28.2% share of global mini LED TV shipments. TCL followed with 23.3%, Hisense with 17.2%, and LG Electronics with 12.4%. The combined share of Korean companies, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, was 40.6%, while that of Chinese companies, TCL and Hisense, was 40.5%.
Mini LED TVs are products that densely arrange smaller LEDs than before behind the LCD panel and use them as a backlight (light source). While existing premium LCD TVs such as QLED and QNED highlighted color reproduction technology, mini LED established itself as a separate premium line by splitting the light source into smaller parts for precise control. Local dimming divides the screen into hundreds to thousands of zones and adjusts brightness, improving brightness and contrast expression over regular LCD TVs. Product lines are also being segmented into models such as "SQD mini LED," which combines white mini LEDs with quantum dot materials, and "RGB mini LED," which uses RGB light sources. In the second quarter, mini LED accounted for 13% of global TV shipments, emerging as a key competitive arena for premium TVs.
◇ China widened the market by cutting prices… Samsung's solo lead toppled
As recently as four years ago, the mini LED TV market was the exclusive stage of Samsung Electronics. In 2022, Samsung Electronics' share reached 76%, while TCL and Hisense stayed at 12% and 2%, respectively. The tide turned as Chinese companies attacked the market with low-priced products. Samsung Electronics' share fell to 47% in 2023, 24% in 2024, and 19% last year. In contrast, TCL climbed to 31% last year and Hisense to 25%. The combined share of the two Chinese companies jumped fourfold in three years, from 14% in 2022 to 56% last year.
The key to Chinese companies toppling Samsung Electronics' solo lead was price competitiveness. TCL and Hisense did not confine mini LED to ultra-premium products but expanded it into the midrange market. TCL procures liquid crystal display (LCD) panels through affiliate TCL CSOT, and in December last year it acquired 80% equity and bonds of LED chip maker Prima for 490 million yuan (about 100 billion won), strengthening vertical integration of its supply chain.
They also improved cost competitiveness in premium products. Based on an 85-inch 4K TV module, Omdia estimated that the manufacturing cost of a super quantum dot (SQD) mini LED with 5,000 color dimming zones is about $1,400 (about 1.9 million won), 20% lower than an RGB mini LED under the same conditions. After broadening the market with low- and mid-priced products and maintaining price competitiveness, they built a foundation to target the premium segment as well.
◇ As Korea-China shares tighten, TCL "distorts facts"
The counterattack by Korean companies gathered pace this year. Samsung Electronics expanded its mini LED lineup, previously centered on premium, into the midrange market. According to market research firm TrendForce, Samsung Electronics' mini LED TV shipments in the first half jumped more than 200% from a year earlier. LG Electronics also added mini LED in earnest to its premium TV strategy that had focused on OLED, lifting its share from 1% in 2024 to 12.4% in the second quarter.
As the surge of Korean companies stood out, noise also continued over Chinese TV makers' product promotions. A representative case was TCL releasing in Korea results that made it look as if Omdia had directly evaluated picture quality for its own SQD mini LED TVs, when the scores were TCL's self-measurements.
On the 25th, TCL said its SQD mini LED TV "received perfect scores in four categories in Omdia's picture quality assessment." It said it scored a perfect 10 in brightness, color uniformity, color gamut, and 4K motion clarity in "Omdia's comparative evaluation results." A TCL official said, "Through this Omdia evaluation, we were able to objectively confirm the picture quality competitiveness of SQD mini LED."
In Omdia's "Display Dynamics - Aug. 2026," the source material for TCL's release obtained by ChosunBiz, it is specified that the picture quality scores were measured by TCL itself. Even though Omdia did not directly test the products and assign the scores, TCL's own scores were recast in the Korean announcement as "Omdia's comparative evaluation results." Nevertheless, TCL said, "In Omdia's technical evaluation, SQD mini LED was recognized for its excellent picture quality performance."
An Omdia official said, "The assessment was not conducted by Omdia but by TCL through its own measurements," adding, "The report clearly states that TCL conducted its own measurements."
An electronics industry official said, "It is hard to believe that a company the size of TCL did not know who the evaluator of its product was," adding, "Samsung Electronics, which had initially led the market, is again releasing products aggressively, and even LG Electronics, which wields major influence in premium TVs such as OLED, is strengthening its push into the mini LED market. TCL appears to feel a sense of crisis and is making 'overreach.'"
◇ Controversy over RGB and QLED labeling without red chips… promotional noise repeats
Criticism over technical naming also surfaced early this year. TCL's budget RGB mini LED TV "Q9M" did not include a separate red (R) LED chip. It was sold as an RGB mini LED while implementing red light with blue (B) and green (G) LEDs plus a red phosphor.
Noise over technical labeling had already erupted with QLED, the flagship premium LCD TV lineup cultivated by Samsung Electronics. In a ruling in March by the Munich District Court I in Germany, the court found that some QLED TV ads by TCL's German unit could mislead consumers.
Hisense was also embroiled in class actions in the United States in February, April, and November last year over QLED labeling. Consumers claim that some products either lack quantum dot technology or include it so minimally that it cannot affect picture quality, yet were sold as QLED TVs.
An electronics industry official said, "The premium market is one where you must enhance quality based on technology and convey that value to consumers," adding, "Trying to show results by even misrepresenting who conducted the evaluation is an act that misleads consumers and is hard to view as a simple mistake."
Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer science at Inha University, said, "If consumers were led to believe it was evaluated by a credible expert institution even though Omdia did not assess it, that could be considered deceptive advertising," adding, "Because statements that an expert institution verified something influence consumers' quality judgments, it is important to clearly disclose who conducted the evaluation."