Millions of Apple and Samsung smartphone owners could be in line for compensation worth around £17 per handset if a landmark legal battle succeeds.
Nearly 30 million people in the UK who bought one of the phones between 2015 and 2024 may be entitled to a share of a £480 million payout under a case brought by consumer champion Which?
The case is being brought against US tech giant Qualcomm and will be heard by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.
The five-week trial, starting today, will examine claims that Qualcomm used its dominant position in the market to charge inflated prices and licensing fees for key handset components.
The costs which were then allegedly passed on to consumers in the form of higher smartphone prices.
Which? argues that Qualcomm’s conduct amounted to anti-competitive behaviour that unfairly hit millions of British consumers in the pocket.
Chief executive Anabel Hoult said: “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.”
If Which? is successful, the second stage of the case would involve calculating and distributing compensation to an estimated 29 million UK Apple and Samsung phone owners, covering devices bought between October 1 2015 and January 9 2024.
Qualcomm has dismissed the allegations, insisting the case has “no basis.”
The San Diego-based firm, one of the world’s largest makers of smartphone chips, has previously faced similar scrutiny. It was fined by the EU for antitrust breaches, while a 2017 lawsuit by the US Federal Trade Commission accusing it of unfair licensing practices was dismissed in 2020.
A similar collective action is also underway in Canada.
