If a smartphone you bought a year and a half ago can no longer last a day, or its battery has swollen, can you get a free repair? Appendix III of the Korea Fair Trade Commission notice Consumer Dispute Resolution Standard (version in force from December 18, 2025) answers: "Smartphones, mobile phones: 2 years (battery: 1 year)." The body is covered for two years, but under this standard the battery falls outside the quality warranty period once a year has passed since purchase.
The same table sets the parts retention period for smartphones at "4 years from the date of manufacture." Tablets are grouped on the same line as laptops and desktops, with a 1-year quality warranty and a 4-year parts retention period.
The manufacturer's warranty comes first; the notice is the floor
The order for setting the warranty period is in Appendix 1 (general consumer dispute resolution standard) of the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Consumers. The quality warranty and parts retention periods are those the business states on its warranty certificate, but if those are shorter than the item-specific standard, the item-specific standard applies. If the certificate states no period, the item-specific standard is used as well.
Samsung Electronics Service's warranty calculation standard lists mobile phones, smartphones and tablets at 2 years, with the proviso "battery: 1 year." Tablets bought up to December 31, 2025 get 1 year; those bought on or after January 1, 2026 get 2 years. That is a case of a manufacturer setting a longer period than the 1 year the notice requires for tablets. For other brands, check the period on that product's warranty certificate.
When do the two years start?
Appendix 1 of the decree says the quality warranty period counts "from the date the consumer purchased or received the goods." When the contract date and delivery date differ, as with online orders, the delivery date is the basis, and goods received in an exchange start a new period from the exchange date. However, a note in the notice's smartphone standard states that "exchange for a refurbished phone is regarded as a free repair," so the original text gives no basis to assert that a refurbished replacement restarts the period from the exchange date. In that case it is more accurate to confirm the service center's handling rule.
If there is no receipt or warranty card and the sale date is hard to confirm, the start date is the day three months after the manufacture or import clearance date (decree Appendix 1). Samsung Electronics Service likewise says that without a warranty card it treats the production month plus three months as the purchase date. The same page states that the warranty period is halved for business use or use at a place of business, and that no warranty period applies to used goods, such as those bought from repair shops.
What you get if it breaks within the warranty
The notice's smartphone standard splits the remedy by when the problem is raised.
- Within 10 days of purchase, when a defect arising in normal use needs significant repair: product exchange or refund of the purchase price
- Within 1 month of purchase in the same situation: product exchange or free repair
- From after 1 month to the end of the quality warranty period: free repair. If repair is impossible, exchange or refund; if exchange is also impossible, refund
"Repair impossible" has a definition. If, within the most recent year of the warranty period (based on repair intake date), the same defect recurs after up to two repairs, or defects in multiple areas recur after up to four repairs, the case is treated as one where repair is impossible.
The refund when parts are unavailable
Even after the warranty has ended, if within the parts retention period the manufacturer does not hold the repair parts and the problem cannot be solved with a refurbished replacement either, the notice calls for a refund of "the remaining amount after straight-line depreciation plus 10% of the purchase price." Depreciation uses the straight-line method, and the useful life from Appendix IV is applied on a monthly basis. Appendix IV sets a smartphone's useful life as the parts retention period stated on the warranty certificate, and uses Appendix III's 4 years if that is shorter or not stated.
Assuming a purchase price of 1.2 million won, 30 months of use and a useful life of 48 months, the formula gives the following.
| Item | Formula | Amount (won) |
|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | (30 ÷ 48) × 1,200,000 | 750,000 |
| Remaining value | 1,200,000 − 750,000 | 450,000 |
| Add-on (10% of purchase price) | 1,200,000 × 10% | 120,000 |
| Refund basis | 450,000 + 120,000 | 570,000 |
The purchase price and usage period are assumptions for illustration; the actual amount depends on the receipt price and actual months of use. If the same situation arises within the quality warranty period and the defect arose in normal use, the standard is product exchange or refund of the purchase price.
What this standard cannot do
As Article 1 of the notice states, the Consumer Dispute Resolution Standard is a "standard for agreement or recommendation" between the parties to a dispute. It has no directly enforceable effect like a court judgment; if no agreement is reached, Article 2 of the notice provides for requesting relief from bodies such as the Korea Consumer Agency. Free repair also presumes a defect that arose in normal use. Appendix 1 of the decree excludes from the business's burden failures caused by the consumer's mishandling or natural disasters, and cases where the product was altered or damaged by repair at a place not designated by the manufacturer.
For a battery problem that appears more than a year after purchase, first check whether the manufacturer's warranty states a longer battery period than the notice, and whether you have a receipt proving the purchase (or delivery) date.