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Smartphone users in the UK could soon be in the money, with Apple and Samsung users potentially entitled to part of a £480 million ($552 million) settlement.
Tech giants are no strangers to lawsuits amid complaints of market dominance, with consumers regularly being able to claw back some money from these technological overlords.
After Apple users were encouraged to claim $100 each amid accusations that Siri has been listening to us, and Android users could make a similar claim over Google taking a cut of Play Store purchases, Qualcomm is now in the firing line.
As reported by Metro, consumer group Which? brought a claim to court and accused Qualcomm of holding market power while abusing its dominant position. The trial has started at London's Competition Appeal Tribunal and is due to run for five weeks.
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If successful, there will be a second trial that hones in on Qualcomm’s conduct and whether users have suffered damage. Which? has put these damages at around £480 million.
Which? alleges that Qualcomm breached UK competition law, purposefully taking advantage of its position at the top of patent-licensing and chipset markets. The claim maintains that Qualcomm charged the likes of Apple and Samsung 'inflated' fees for technology licenses, with this then being passed down to customers via higher prices or lower-quality devices. Which? wants the £480 million damages for any Apple or Samsung smartphones that were bought between October 1, 2025, and January 9, 2024.
Which? estimates that consumers could be entitled to around £17/$20 per device, meaning it could soon add up depending on how many phones you've bought during that period.
The action is being pushed by Which to "send a clear message to powerful companies like Qualcomm that if they engage in harmful, anticompetitive practices, Which? stands ready to take action."
Chief Executive Anabel Hoult explained: "This trial is a huge moment. It shows how the power of consumers – backed by Which? – can be used to hold the biggest companies to account if they abuse their dominant position."
Hoult said that without Which? bringing forward the claim on behalf of 30 million UK customers, "It would simply not be realistic for people to seek damages from the company on an individual basis." She concluded: "That’s why it’s so important that consumers can come together and claim the redress they are entitled to."
We're reminded of 2023's 'batterygate’ where Apple had to pay out when it was accused of deliberately reducing the performance of its batteries.
In 2022, Samsung was fined AU$14 million over 'misleading' water resistance claims on over 3.1 million smartphones.
It's interesting to see Apple and Samsung on the same side, especially after Samsung filed multiple lawsuits against Apple, alleging patent infringement in several countries, including the USA.
