Qualcomm

Which? withdraws £480m smartphone claim

Global chip manufacturer, Qualcomm, was accused by Which of overcharging for its smartphone technology and owing users £480 million.

Consumer group Which? is applying to withdraw its £480 million collective action against global chip manufacturer Qualcomm after concluding the Competition Appeal Tribunal will rule against the claim following a five-week trial.

Qualcomm was accused of charging smartphone manufacturers too much for the use of its 4G technology. Which? claimed this could have led to 29 million UK smartphone owners being owed almost £480 million.

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Qualcomm in smartphone overcharging claim

Qualcomm holds the patents to widely-used technology that is essential to enabling smartphones to connect to 4G networks. The company was accused of charging smartphone manufacturers – like Apple and Samsung – inflated fees to use this technology.

It was claimed that this has increased the costs for smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung leading to millions of smartphone owners paying higher prices for their phones.

Why Which? is withdrawing the claim

A five-week trial was held between October and November 2025, during which the Tribunal heard evidence from Qualcomm’s senior executives, industry participants and economists.

Following the trial, Which? concluded, based on the evidence and arguments presented, that the Tribunal will find that:

• Qualcomm did not coerce Apple, Apple’s chipset manufacturers or Samsung to sign any patent licences or chipset agreements
• Qualcomm did not leverage its position as a chipset supplier to coerce these companies to agree to any licensing terms
• Qualcomm’s licensing and chipset practices did not infringe competition laws, did not result in inflated royalties and did not lead to an increase in prices consumers paid for their mobile phones

The agreement between the parties means Which? will now apply to the Tribunal for permission to withdraw the proceedings in their entirety, with no payment by Qualcomm to Which? or the class members.

What this means for smartphone owners

UK consumers who purchased Apple or Samsung 4G smartphones between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024 were automatically included in the claim as an opt-out collective action. This means they were represented by Which? unless they actively chose to opt out.

With Which? now withdrawing the claim, no compensation will be paid to any of the estimated 29 million class members. The withdrawal is subject to approval by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The smartphone claim was one of two high-profile collective actions launched by Which? in recent years as the UK’s consumer champion. The other – an ongoing case relating to Apple’s iCloud services – has yet to be certified, and we previously reported on it here.