Galaxy S22 'GOS Controversy': 1,800-Person Lawsuit Concludes with Compulsory Mediation

Started with Consumer Backlash Over Lack of GOS Disclosure
First Trial Denied Liability, Case Concluded with Compulsory Mediation in Appeal

The class action lawsuit filed by consumers over performance degradation issues with the Samsung Electronics Galaxy S22 has concluded in the second trial through compulsory mediation. This comes approximately four years after the lawsuit was first filed in 2022.

According to the legal community on March 19, the Civil Division 12-1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Jang Seokjo, Ham Sanghoon, and Seo Seungryul) issued a compulsory mediation decision in the appeal trial of about 1,800 Galaxy S22 consumers against Samsung Electronics for damages. As both parties accepted the decision, it was finalized the previous day. Compulsory mediation becomes final if neither party raises an objection within two weeks, and once finalized, it has the same effect as a court settlement.

On February 10, 2022, the Galaxy S22 was exhibited at the Samsung Electronics Delightshop in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by The Asia Business Daily Database

In the first trial, the court acknowledged that Samsung Electronics had engaged in representations or advertisements that could mislead consumers, but determined that the company was not liable for damages. The consumers appealed, and the appellate court, after recommending mediation, ultimately decided on compulsory mediation ex officio.

This lawsuit arose when Samsung Electronics made it mandatory to install the Game Optimization Service (GOS) on the Galaxy S22 series in 2022. GOS is a feature that controls the performance of the graphics processing unit (GPU) during high-load tasks such as gaming, in order to reduce overheating. Consumers filed the lawsuit claiming that this feature could degrade device performance and that they were not adequately informed about it, demanding compensation of 300,000 won per person.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.