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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.
Well, sad to see they're not doing anything about it. I only wonder how come the first SP4s had it and why was it rectified after some time then. This brings another obvious question: how the f*** come they fixed it in SP4 and then screwed it up again with SP5. It's entirely beyond any reason.
I have the same issue however less severe on a batch 1823 Surface.
The bleed is acceptable however still noticeable!
So still not fixed I guess :-(
See the picture:
When you say near perfect screen, what do you mean? Do you have a little variance near the edges, or in some very specific place?
Considering your experience do you consider screen bleeding something stable or something that may evolve with time ?
I mean its almost perfect except tiny variations around the edges which you wouldn't notice unless you were looking out for it and certainly not enough to be any kind of issue. Must be said its still not as good as my SP3 screen, but more than good enough, and a huge improvement over the original SP2017 I bought.
Screen bleed is a per unit problem, if yours has a problem it'll always be a problem until you change your hardware, and is completely down to sub par QC at the manufacturing stage and maybe even sub standard parts.
When you say near perfect screen, what do you mean? Do you have a little variance near the edges, or in some very specific place?
Considering your experience do you consider screen bleeding something stable or something that may evolve with time ?
Bleeding is something almost every screen has, with different degrees, but if you only notice it in extreme conditions, don't make a big thing out of it. If you are always looking for defects you will find them. Spend your time enjoying this terrific piece of technology, not trying to find defects on it. This obviously doesn't apply to all of you that had severe cases of screen bleeding. I just think everyone is complaining, and a lot of those people don't have a real problem, because during 99,99% of the time they use the Surface Pro, they don't see any screen bleeding. SCREEN BLEEDING IS A NORMAL THING, it can be more or less noticeable.
This wasn't an extreme condition thing. It was evident and blatantly obvious as soon as a single colour background was displayed across most of the screen. I've owned a Surface Pro 3 which had a perfect screen with no back lighting issues at all. I've also owned 2 iPads, 5 iPhones and 3 Macbook Pro's and none had any back lighting issues.
For anyone experiencing back lighting issues with their SP 2017, get it swapped out under warranty. I've now received my 3rd unit with a near perfect screen. The previous swap outs had less and less issues until I got a unit with a screen I'd consider near perfect. They do exist so keep swapping it until you get a good one. My lot number on the near perfect screen is 1827 Jul 2018. Good luck and don't settle until you get what you paid for!!
