South Korean authorities have fined Samsung after ruling that the company misled consumers by promoting certain Galaxy devices as premium gaming products without clearly disclosing built-in performance limits.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission challenged Samsung over advertising claims for the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy S22 series, and Galaxy Tab S8 lineup. The issue focused on Samsung’s promise of an “ultimate mobile gaming experience,” despite not informing buyers that its Game Optimizing Service (GOS) could throttle device performance during demanding games.
According to the regulator, GOS was designed to automatically reduce CPU and GPU output while gaming, potentially causing lag, freezes, and lower graphics quality. The FTC argued that Samsung failed to properly reveal these restrictions, which amounted to deceptive marketing.
Samsung later issued an update allowing users to disable the GOS limitations. The company defended the feature as a safeguard meant to maintain stability and prevent overheating during long gaming sessions.
Samsung is expected to appeal the decision, maintaining that it did nothing wrong and that it quickly addressed user concerns after the controversy emerged in March 2022. Other lawsuits connected to GOS, both locally and abroad, have reportedly been withdrawn or concluded.
