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Question: Why isn't Microsoft acknowledging the new Surface Pro 2017 display backlight bleed defect and ignoring its customers after the launch of the product? When will they solve the problem? Because all of the units have the defect and replacing it at the Microsoft store is not a viable solution at the moment.
My new Surface Pro 2017 core i7 8GB (lot 1722) has backlight bleed on the whole bottom edge and left side of the screen. You don't normally notice it in landscape mode because the black taskbar hides it, but if you read a white background fullscreen article in portrait mode it's pretty obvious with one side of the screen being brighter than the other side.This light bleed is most noticeable in the colours blue and white and harder to see in black colours (which are usually used in backlight bleed tests).
The quickest way to test and see if your screen has this problem is to press CTRL+ALT+DEL and bring up the blue screen. On the bottom of the blue screen you should see a bright blue/white bar compared to the rest of the screen which is the defective light bleed. All the showcase models in the Microsoft Store I looked at had this problem. I have yet to see a new Surface Pro without this defect. Can anyone post a picture of their CTRL+ALT+DEL screen without the light bleed?
I think people who claim not to have it aren't looking close enough to notice it. Is Microsoft going to acknowledge this display defect and are they working on fixing it in future batches?
Also, if I wait more than one month to exchange my Surface Pro would I get a refurbished model or a new one? If they are going to give me a refurbished model I might as well just return this defective device and get a full refund. When we pay premium prices we expect premium quality. This defect would have been acceptable on a cheap tablet, but not a Microsoft product. Please fix the issue as soon as possible!
Tip: If you want to test your screen on different colours go to http://www.deadpixelbuddy.com/ and choose a colour then switch to fullscreen (win key+shift+enter on Edge or F11 on Chrome) and view the fabulous results and take a picture and post it here so we can prove that it's a universal problem.
I AM NOT THE SOURCE OF THE PICTURES BELOW, THEY ARE FROM REPLIES TO THIS POST OR REDDIT LINKS GIVEN BELOW. THE FIRST PICTURE (WHICH HAS BEEN USED IN TECH NEWS WEBSITES) BELONGS TOWALMART MARKETING TEAMUSER ON REDDIT! I HAVE ONLY GATHERED THEM HERE.
Subreddits discussing this topic:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/search?q=backlight+bleed&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=month
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6iji8k/surface_pro_2017_backlight_bleeding_survey/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6k94qe/just_bought_my_new_surface_pro_2017_i_might_be/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6jggz5/is_this_light_bleed/?st=J4X9C9Y6&sh=319ae1cc
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6jigz0/whats_your_surface_pro_2017_lot_number_any_issues/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6kv9ky/light_bleed_on_surface_pro_2017/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6i8lcz/backlight_bleeding_surface_pro_2017_i5_8gb/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6j8hau/picked_up_brand_new_surface_pro_i7_512gb16g_ram/
As you can see there are A LOT so do not deny the defect and claim it's a minor issue in a few models. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY MICROSOFT!
Edit: I just realized I posted the original issue as a discussion post and therefore it didn't have the requirement for it to be responded like a question, so I'm editing it so people can also click the "Me Too" button until we get an official/semi-official response from a Microsoft representative. I've also added more subreddits and pictures.
UPDATE (17/07/2017 11:25 AM GMT): The broken image links have been fixed.
**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:**A lot of tech websites have reported the issue and especially used the first image in this post and attributed it to me. I must note that none of these images are mine and they all come from the reddit posts I linked below them. The specific top image is from the user WalmartMarketingTeam
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
That's the problem I have with the compensation pattern. It is assuming that the bleed is exactly the same for everyone, but if you take a look at the pictures of different people you can see that it is at varying degrees for different devices and this might not be the best final solution, considering the fact there is no way for the software to sense how much bleed there is internally.
Surface Guy, compensation is not a hack, it's engineering. Every device and vehicle you have used has feedback loops in it to stabilize its various "defects."
Microsoft is not going to recall every device for a little bit of light bleed, let's be realistic. For every one of us who notices this, there are 10 who do not. So even if they lose your business, it will hardly affect them. We can complain and make it be heard that there is a problem here. But if that's all we do, it's no better than whining. So instead, let's try to figure this out. Just like bug reports and logs feed in information to the developers to help eliminate them, we can point at exactly what is going on with the bleed, and hope there's a solution.
Besides, did you try the compensation pattern? To make a stronger point, I have improved the pattern a bit, and I think I have figured out how to modify it for various levels of luminosity. You can download here a ZIP file with patterns for a range of gray levels. Please try them out and see if there's a significant improvement. You'll notice that black is missing. That's because the backlight will dim automatically and the gradient won't be noticeable. Also, the brightness setting doesn't seem to matter.
Luckily the problem is that we have more light than we need, so compensation will not result in a loss. Had we had less light (dark spots along the edge), it would have been a bit more lossy. (I know Brain&Force believes the problem is "dark bands", but that's mostly an optical illusion combining the effect of excessive brightness on the edge, and the dimming due to viewing angles.)
There are still many technical challenges to make this work, chief among them: Is the bleed pattern the same for everyone? (Or maybe it's the same within Lots? Or totally random? Etc. This is why we need more people testing, so please do!)
I replaced my Surface Pro (i5, 256GB) for the fourth time in the last thirty days. Unfortunately, I found the backlight bleed problem on this unit as well. UPDATE: I returned the unit for a refund and will wait until MS resolves this issue before purchasing another New Surface Pro.
Dear Microsoft Surface team,
You've done an outstanding job designing this product. The new Surface Pro is awesome. I purchased an i5/8GB/256GB unit. I think this Surface Pro is maybe the best computer I've owned.
Regarding the new Surface Pro display issue, it is bothersome, especially for those of us who had a Surface Pro 4 and paid the money to upgrade to a new Surface Pro.
The screen on the Surface Pro 4 was exceptional. I bought many of these for my company. Most of us who have thus far experienced this light bleed
problem on this new Surface would appreciate your addressing this issue. To your credit, I have found that over the last couple of years your customer service has been unquestionably outstanding for the Surface line. You guys have
won me over as a customer and I will continue to buy your product purchase
Surface Pro 4's, but not New Surface Pro (5th Gen) until I can see this backlight bleed issue resolved. I am hoping, along with others, that you guys make this right.
Thanks for your consideration.
Note:
The following text is on the box the Surface came in.
LOT NO./ DATE:1722 MODEL 1796
____________________________________________________________________________
To add to this posting above,here’s a link to an article by research scientist Dr. Raymond M. Soneira, which is a “lite version of [their] advanced scientific analysis on Surface Pro 4’s display": http://www.displaymate.com/Surface\_Pro4\_ShootOut\_1.htm . The website provides extensive information on many manufacture’s displays. The conclusion from that article (on the Surface Pro 4 display) is:
An Excellent Top Tier Display(Surface Pro 4)
“Based on our extensive Lab tests and measurements on the display for the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft has produced an excellent professional grade high performance display for Windows that breaks a number of LCD Tablet performance records. In fact, the Surface Pro 4 has one of the very best and most accurate displays available on any mobile platform and OS. It joins near the top of a small set of Tablets that have excellent top tier displays – ideal for professionals that need a very accurate high performance display for their work, and for consumers that want and appreciate a really nice and beautiful display…”
After thinking through all this further, I have to believe the Microsoft Surface team is obsessing on this behind the scenes even now. Those guys have repeatedly demonstrated over the last several years that they are obsessed with getting things right. I am also fairly certain Surface Pro’s “new” display has further advancements over the older Surface Pro 4 display.
In the end, every manufacture will have challenges like this. How a manufacture responds to an issue is what determines their reputation and customer loyalty in the market place -- for good or bad. Given Microsoft's momentum in the right direction in these last several years, in both customer service and technical advancement, I'm thinkin' they'll get it right and make it right.
try this link
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpronew?tab=Threads&auth=1
be aware that Microsoft is trying to implement a new user interface for Forums
and they are doing work behind the scenes. Lots of things seem to get broken and
then fixed.
THIS link should take you to the top of the thread
-IF you are already signed in. If you are not, sometimes you end up at the home
page for communities or somewhere else unexpected, but if you sign in again, you
should end up where you intended to be. (it is driving ME nuts).
>>You can't view the subsection "Surface Pro (newest)" anymore, the one linked at the top of the page, although this thread still exists.
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>>https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpronew?tab=Threads
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>>When you click on the above link it just sends you to the general "Surface" section and I can't find this post anywhere there.
Compensation is a nice hack but not the final solution. Microsoft should be fixing the actual hardware and not using hacks. We deserve more than a cheap software update, and should get better quality control on the products they sell us.
By the way, what the hell happened to the "Surface Pro(newest)" subsection on the forum? It has disappeared! Is Microsoft trying to SUPPRESS all the problems on the new Surface Pro?
You can't view the subsection "Surface Pro (newest)" anymore, the one linked at the top of the page, although this thread still exists.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpronew?tab=Threads
When you click on the above link it just sends you to the general "Surface" section and I can't find this post anywhere there.
