Nearly 30 million Brits may get £17 each if Which? Wins court fight over inflated phone prices

Millions of Apple and Samsung users across the UK could soon pocket around £17 each if consumer group Which? wins its £480 million lawsuit against American chipmaker Qualcomm.

The landmark trial begins this week at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London and could affect up to 29 million smartphone owners who bought Apple or Samsung devices between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

Which? has accused Qualcomm of anti-competitive behaviour, claiming it forced Apple and Samsung to pay inflated prices and unfair licensing fees for key smartphone components — costs that were then passed directly onto consumers.

If the consumer group succeeds, the payout could total nearly half a billion pounds, shared among affected phone users.

“This trial is a huge moment,” said Anabel Hoult, chief executive of Which?. “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.”

The five-week trial will focus on whether Qualcomm held a dominant market position in the supply of smartphone chips and whether it abused that dominance to overcharge manufacturers.

Qualcomm, which is based in San Diego, has denied any wrongdoing, describing the case as having “no basis”. The company has faced similar legal challenges elsewhere, including in Canada and the European Union, where it has previously been fined for antitrust breaches.

How the claim works

The case has been brought as a collective action, meaning Which? is representing millions of consumers automatically — there’s no need for individuals to sign up.

If the tribunal rules in Which?’s favour, a second phase of proceedings will determine how much Qualcomm must pay. The group estimates compensation would average around £17 per handset, depending on the model and year of purchase.

Eligible consumers include anyone in the UK who bought an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy smartphone — either directly from the manufacturer, through a mobile network, or via a retailer — within the nine-year period under review.

The legal argument

Qualcomm is one of the world’s largest makers of smartphone processors and modems. Its chips power many of Apple’s and Samsung’s most popular handsets, enabling fast mobile data and smooth performance.

Which? alleges the company leveraged this technological dominance to charge excessive fees for using its patented technologies, while also forcing phone manufacturers to buy its chips exclusively — a practice that limited competition and artificially inflated retail prices.

The consumer group says this behaviour harmed millions of British customers by making smartphones more expensive than they should have been.

Legal experts say the case could become one of the most significant competition law battles in recent UK history, testing how far courts can go in holding global tech firms accountable for pricing practices that impact everyday consumers.

Global scrutiny

This isn’t Qualcomm’s first time in court over its business model. The US Federal Trade Commission sued the company in 2017 for allegedly imposing unfair licensing terms on smartphone makers, although the case was dismissed on appeal in 2020.

In the European Union, Qualcomm was fined €997 million in 2018 for paying Apple to exclusively use its chips, a decision that drew sharp criticism from regulators who accused it of “stifling competition”.

What happens next

The London tribunal’s decision is expected to take several months. If Which? wins, the case will move to a second stage to decide the exact payout and distribution method for consumers.

For now, the advice is simple: anyone who bought an Apple or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and early 2024 could be entitled to compensation, provided Which? proves its case.

The outcome could reshape how major tech suppliers deal with manufacturers, and how much UK consumers ultimately pay for their devices.