Samsung GOS Controversy, “Shameful Lies to Consumers”

© Hong Ki-won reporter / Suwon=YonHap News

In March 2022, some suspicion has been aroused that GOS (Game Optimizing Service) decreases performance of game apps by Samsung Galaxy users. GOS is a default app of Galaxy that controls frames per second (fps) and GPU performance in order to keep the device from heating and reduce battery consumption.

 

It was an issue that Samsung ran exaggerated advertisements that the device always exhibits its advertised abilities, concealing the fact the performance decreases by 40% due to GOS.

 

A test result that GOS decreases the performance by 53.9-64.2% was published in social media by Geekbench, a benchmark program that measures mobile performance and converts it to a score. However GOS was applied only to apps classified as games and it didn’t affect the benchmark program before. In other words, the performance was exaggerated, compared with actual one. As a result, Geekbench delisted all Samsung Galaxy S22, S21, S20 and S10 models from its benchmark chart, arguing that Samsung manipulated the performance.

 

Last February, Samsung rolled out Galaxy S22 Series and called them “the most powerful devices Samsung has ever created”. In addition, it announced that it had increased their performance. However, as noted earlier, the splendid performance wasn’t available to consumers. Although Samsung explained GOS was for the safety of consumers, it couldn’t avoid the criticism that it has deceived consumers with its exaggerated advertisements.

 

The GOS controversy is predicted to cause serious damage to the company’s image. Consumers criticized Samsung, comparing it with Volkswagen that manipulated exhaust emissions in 2015. Consumers argued that it was fraud that Volkswagen turned on emission control devices on tests but turned off the devices on real roads, and that it was with Samsung as with Volkswagen. Moreover, about 1,800 consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Samsung. Lawsuits were also filed in the U.S. and Israel since Galaxy was sold worldwide. Samsung should be ashamed of the suspicions, as one of the most representative companies of Korea.

 

Despite such concerns, the Galaxy S22 Series that had been accused of GOS controversy made a big hit with sales breaking a million in Korea and growing by 60% in the U.S. But these hits does not exonerate Samsung from its fault. As Apple cannot be free of Batterygate, the GOS controversy would become Samsung’s shameful past, following it like a shadow. That’s the reason honest management based on business ethics should be emphasized, not the simple pursuit of profits. Fair management protects the right of consumers and gives trust to those who consider investing in the company. Given such reasons, management should operate their company in honest and fair ways. 

 

May 7, 2022
© Lee Sihu (keepedia06@gmail.com)