The Bespoke AI Combo by Samsung Electronics (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – With Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics unveiling their new flagship TV lineups and premium all-in-one washer-dryer combos for 2024, the fierce rivals have engaged in an increasingly acrimonious marketing battle, taking thinly veiled shots at each other’s claims of superiority.
The dispute began when Han Jong-hee, the CEO of Samsung’s DX division, boasted at a product launch event on March 13 that in the Korean market, Samsung had surpassed LG’s long-held dominance in market share for large-screen OLED TVs 77 inches and up.
“We have already exceeded our competitor’s share in super-large screen OLED TVs of 77 inches and above,” Han declared.
LG Electronics, long considered the global leader in OLED technology, quickly shot back, citing data from the research firm Omdia that showed LG commanded over 75 percent market share in large OLED TV sales across key Asian markets like Korea and Taiwan last year, dwarfing Samsung’s 15 percent share.
“We cannot accept Samsung’s assertion,” an LG official said, questioning what data Samsung was using to make “such a claim” about the Korean market.
The 2024 LG OLED·QNED TV (Image courtesy of LG Electronics)
Samsung countered that while LG may lead globally in total OLED sales, its own figures showed Samsung was ahead specifically in the high-stakes Korean market for premium, oversized OLED models. However, neither company provided detailed sales figures to back up their competing claims.
The acrimony has extended to their new marquee all-in-one washer-dryer offerings as well. In its March 13 press release for the Tromm Wash Combo, LG touted that unlike “rival products on the market” that consume over 1,000 watts for drying, its new unit uses just 570 watts — an unmistakable jab at Samsung’s AI Combo, which has a 1,700-watt drying mode.
Not to be outdone, Samsung fired back that on a per-cycle basis, its model actually has a lower total energy consumption than LG’s when factoring drying time. It cited data from the Korea Energy Agency showing its 20kg dryer used 1,990 watt-hours per cycle, compared to 2,014 watt-hours for LG’s same-capacity unit.
The companies have also traded barbs over their respective drying technologies, with LG claiming its heat pump system is more fabric-friendly and efficient than Samsung’s “hybrid” approach incorporating traditional heating elements.
“Refrigerators run all the time, so a heat pump is okay,” said one Samsung official, who requested anonymity to discuss the dispute candidly. “But for dryers, using only a heat pump makes drying much longer, especially in cold weather, so a hybrid system is better.”
Samsung Electronics hosts the ‘Unbox & Discover 2024′ launching event. (Image courtesy of Samsung Electronics)
Even seemingly minor details like the automatic detergent dispensers’ positioning — top-loading for LG’s model, bottom-loading for Samsung — have become fodder for the companies’ competitive sniping.
LG touted the “convenience” of its top dispenser “without having to bend over,” while Samsung argued its bottom dispenser is more user-friendly since it requires refilling every six weeks at most, versus LG’s top dispenser that will likely need more frequent refilling.
Amid the endless bickering, the premium pricing of the new washer-dryer combos — around $3,000 to $6,000 — has itself become a bone of contention. LG has defended its higher-than-Samsung sticker as commensurate with its brand’s traditional premium positioning. But Samsung has accused LG of inflating prices for the Korean market compared to other regions like North America, where the LG Wash Combo retails for closer to $3,000.
“It’s essentially the same product, but priced much higher here,” a Samsung official charged.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
