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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.
Ok, thanks. It's unclear whether they actually consider the bleed a warranty problem. I talked to a Polish MS rep on the chat and he said "light leakage" is considered normal for Surfaces. Then again, it was the same guy who actually said that it's impossible to disable password protection...
Here's more fun with my compensation idea and another one of the user-photos circulated around.
If you want to try the fix, download SurfaceLightBleedFix and run it. It goes in the taskbar and displays an almost transparent corrective overlay that passes mouse and pen input through. When you switch between landscape and portrait mode, right click on the taskbar, change image folder, and choose the desired mode.
Hope more people try this out, just to see if it works.
I just tried it, and... well, I don't know what to say, because it does work indeed, but I have mixed feelings about it.
On one hand it's amazing to finally see your display look just as it should out of the box. I would say the effect from your "fix" is a 100% improvement. I'm not going to post any photos due to lack of proper camera - people should try the thing out themselves if they care.
I applaud your persistence, especially since I think I actually WILL use this thing, even if the transition between portrait/landscape is currently a pain in the ****. But then, I work in landscape 99% of the time anyway.
On the other hand, it obviously kinda makes you feel like an idiot to even have to attempt stuff like that. I can just hear the folks from Apple laughing in my head whenever I try a PNG overlay to fix my defective screen. Even if the fix ACTUALLY works and does wonders.
Like I said, mixed feelings. But many thanks, Superficiem.
I still demand Microsoft to do something about the problem, though.
My new Device arrived, same Problem! The F*cking Display is not mounted in correctly so I can press it in on the Top.
EDIT: Just called the Surface Support and said that my third Device has the Same Problem, he just hang up! Realy Microsoft please Fire this Guy, if I can proof with Pictures that I have always the Same issues why are they hanging up?
I realy dont know what to say right now. I called them I think 10-20 Times. They always give me different answers! The Microsoft Store says that I can request a Refund in the Surface Support. The Surface Support says that it is not possible for them I should contact the Microsoft Store. What this means it is not possible at the moment to get a refund because they somehow f*cked everything up.
