Millions of Apple and Samsung phone owners in the UK could soon be eligible for compensation worth around £17 each, depending on the outcome of a major legal case against US tech giant

Qualcomm.

Consumer group Which? is taking Qualcomm to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, accusing the company of unfairly driving up smartphone prices. The trial begins Monday and is expected to last about five weeks.

According to Which?, Qualcomm charged Apple and Samsung inflated prices and licensing fees for essential smartphone components — costs that were then passed on to consumers. The group says this led to millions of UK customers paying more than they should have for their phones.

If Which? wins, the next stage of the case could see £480 million paid out to around 29 million UK consumers who bought Apple or Samsung smartphones between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024. That works out to roughly £17 per person.

Qualcomm has previously dismissed the case, saying it has “no basis.” The BBC has reached out to the company for comment.

The trial will center on whether Qualcomm held too much market power — and if it abused that position. Similar lawsuits have been filed against the company in other countries, including Canada, and the European Union has previously fined Qualcomm for anti-competitive behavior.

Qualcomm, one of the world’s leading smartphone chipmakers, has faced several legal challenges over its business practices in the past. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company in 2017 for unfair licensing practices — a case that was later dismissed in 2020. Photo by Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia, Wikimedia commons.