Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous
2017-01-19T07:47:47+00:00

Hi All,

Update: Flickergate is now having a forum to bring all affected users at a single platform to plan for resolvement of issue. Please join at

 https://forum.flickergate.com

UPDATE: Check FlickerGate.com for videos of the problem and to submit your own. 

I purchased SP4 device a few months ago and it was working fine for a month. Then I noticed that when the CPU is at its max, the screen flickers a bit. Investigating further revealed that it flickers even if it is setting idle. It does not flicker if at least one of the following thing is done:

  1. A video being played in browser 
  2. If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
  3. If I use the touchpad
  4. If keyboard is used for typing

This resulted in making the device completely unusable while reading articles or ebooks. I am a developer, most of the time I have to read the code and to do that, I have to constantly keep a finger on the touch pad or the screen. I contacted surface support in October and November and was told that the developers are working on the patch. Looking at the updates the developers are pushing since then, I don't think anyone is even aware of the problem there. 

My previous support ticket numbers are:

 ***deleted personally identifiable information***

***deleted personally identifiable information***

Just wondering if anyone else had the same problem (and the fix) and if not, what's the procedure for the refund? I will rather go for a mac then sacrificing $2000+ for a dancing screen.  

Kind Regards,

Abbas

***Personal information deleted by the moderator. Please see the Microsoft Community Frequently Asked Questions for more information on how you can protect your privacy.***

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

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Anonymous
2018-05-11T17:59:00+00:00

Hey Everyone,

Creating the best products and experiences for our customers is our top priority.

We have heard your feedback and after careful examination, have determined that a small percentage of Surface Pro 4 devices are exhibiting a screen flicker that cannot be addressed with a firmware or driver update.

To support customers affected by this issue, we will replace eligible Surface Pro 4 devices for up to three years from the date of purchase, free of charge. If you believe your device is experiencing this issue, please visit our Surface Pro 4 screen flicker article for more details.

Bryan [MSFT]

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-08-16T06:00:18+00:00

    I have now faced my USB fan to the front of the Surface i.e. the screen itself. Cooling the back didn't work. But cooling the front seems to work so far! Can anyone try and confirm this?

    I can confirm this for my SP4. If I run a Prime95 test to heat up the device, the screen won't flicker until the screen itself gets hot.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-08-16T04:54:34+00:00

    It is quite expensive to have SP4 and my one was just 5-6 months old. From advertising and your website it gives the impression that this unit is great also to do some works but after using for a long time, it overheats and makes the screen flicker and goes only if I shut it down but comes back again after I work on it. 

    To make it short - makes it useless.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-08-15T18:28:09+00:00

    I have now faced my USB fan to the front of the Surface i.e. the screen itself. Cooling the back didn't work. But cooling the front seems to work so far! Can anyone try and confirm this?

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-08-15T15:40:37+00:00

    This is beyond a joke.

    I've had my Surface Pro 4 since the early Oct 2015 preorder, and while the flickering sometimes comes and goes momentarily, when it properly happens, it makes my Surface completely unusable at some times (and then will be perfectly fine the next day).

    I've tried it all: killing all non-essential apps and processes, changing/updating/rolling back the graphics drivers, having Hyper V disabled, trying the "leave a video or Task Bar" hack, and the cooling-down, but nothing seems to *fix* it.

    Like others are saying, cooling down seems to help a bit. I notice the longer I leave my Surface powered off, the longer it takes for it to return when I power back on. And the best is when I leave it to the next day.

    I literally use my Surface for long hours in the office (over 10+ hrs each day at work), and sometimes, but uncommonly, encounter the issue in the office.

    Strangely, for me, it happens most frequently (and with the worst jittering) when I try to work from home. This happens with or without power connected, and with or without airplane mode, so I'm not 100% convinced it is Mains Power or WiFi related. Maybe if cooling is a factor, maybe the humidity or air differences are somehow involved? I'm really clutching at straws here trying to think why it happens at home and not at work. I also have a different external monitor at home/work, but it also happens even when I'm not using the external monitor, so I'm really perplexed.

    Here's an example when it's at its worst point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiB6gQwRql8 - it was fine the next day for another few weeks, and now that I'm working from home again, I'm typing this while its showing the same behaviour. I'm going to switch to my home machine now to finish my work for the day, since this Surface is useless under these conditions. :(

    Microsoft, when are you going to address this properly??

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