Tech

Samsung lied, its Galaxy smartphones are not that waterproof

Samsung has admitted to making misleading claims about the water resistance of seven of its phones. The damage will cost the South Korean giant just over 9 million euros.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Most smartphones today meet water tightness criteria, which you can also test on your Android smartphone using a small application. A real marketing asset, this watertightness is actually quite relative. Some smartphones can actually only receive splashes while others can only withstand rapid and non-continuous immersions in water.

A detail that Samsung apparently forgot to specify, specifically in its advertising campaigns in Australia. The damage will cost the South Korean tech giant just over $9 million.

Samsung lied about the water resistance of seven of its smartphones

Via a press release from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Samsung admitted to making false claims about waterproofing on the following models of its smartphones:

The facts are between 2016 and 2018, when Samsung Australia ran ads praising the water resistance of some of its phones. The advertisements showed that the phones in question were suitable for use in swimming pools or sea water. These advertising campaigns were widely distributed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and official brand channels.

However, Australian users have noticed that their smartphone sometimes stopped working after immersion in sea water or in a swimming pool. The corrosive substances of this water actually caused several failures on the brand’s devices.

The South Korean giant is fined 9.2 million euros

After several complaints received, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was seized. And the organization’s press release is very clear: “Samsung Australia’s water resistance claims promoted a major selling point for these Galaxy phones; many consumers who purchased a Galaxy phone may have been exposed to misleading advertisements before making their decision to purchase a new phone.”

For its misleading advertising campaigns, the company is now ordered to pay a little more than 14 million Australian dollars (9.2 million euros). A real blow for Samsung, which will have to quickly pay a fairly heavy fine. What’s more in a country where more than 3 million Galaxy have been sold.

Source : Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

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