SEOUL, October 27 (AJP) - South Korea's antitrust watchdog on Wednesday imposed a provisional 20 billion won ($15 million) fine on Samsung Electronics for misleading consumers about the gaming performance of its Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said Samsung advertised the Galaxy S21 and S22 smartphones and Galaxy Tab S8 tablets as capable of delivering smooth, high-performance gaming without disclosing that their processing speeds were automatically restricted when certain demanding games were launched.
According to the regulator, Samsung's Game Optimizing Service (GOS) software immediately capped the maximum operating speeds of the devices' CPUs and GPUs, in some cases to as low as 30 percent of their original maximum levels, regardless of device temperature.
The restrictions affected games including PUBG, Genshin Impact and Lineage W, causing lag, reduced graphics quality and other performance issues, the KFTC said.
Samsung promoted the devices' fast processors, responsive displays and smooth gameplay in advertisements and product launches between January 2021 and March 2022, the regulator said.
The KFTC concluded that Samsung's failure to disclose the restrictions could mislead consumers and interfere with their purchasing decisions, ordering corrective measures alongside the fine.
Samsung removed the automatic performance restrictions through a software update in March 2022 following consumer complaints.
The regulator said it considered Samsung's voluntary corrective efforts when determining the penalty. Sales of the affected devices during the violation period totaled about 4 trillion won ($3 billion).
Separately, about 1,800 consumers sued Samsung over the Galaxy S22's performance restrictions. A lower court recognized the advertising as misleading but found insufficient evidence of damages. The case was subsequently settled through court-mediated proceedings in March this year.
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