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

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.

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Answer accepted by question author
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
    2018-01-31T09:26:07+00:00

    Hi guys,

    I have same problem with my SP4 screen shaking, so i must go to microsoft store for replacing screen or repair my device by microsoft.unfortunately my device is Out of waranty, so do they replace my screen or repaire it without any charge? 

    I am very grateful if someone guide me about that issue.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-01-30T22:19:57+00:00

    I am not sure if there is more than one issue causing this problem as my screen started to shake as soon as it was switched on and sometimes improved slightly after time but most people say that the problem gets worse over time.

    I tried all the software solutions suggested by Microsoft but nothing worked.

    I noticed that the shake started on the startup screen and also in the UEFI screen so it was unlikely that the problem was Windows software or drivers. The display was also fine when connected to an external monitor so the graphics card appeared to be ok.

    The problem eventually was so bad that I decided I had nothing to lose by trying to replace the screen. Finding the correct screen was very difficult but I eventually found one and found some instructions on how to remove the screen

    This was also very difficult but eventually and with care the screen came off. I was then able to test the faulty screen without the digitizer and the shake was still there. I installed the new screen with the original digitizer and switched on and the shake had gone. The screen display was perfect again. I have been using it for a month now and the screen is still ok. It may not be long term fix and I do not know why the screen becomes faulty over time but in my case it was definitely a faulty screen.  Something must be causing this but my problem was definitely  a hardware issue and not software or drivers.

    I would not recommend changing the screen unless you are willing to write the surface off as it is difficult and you can easily damage other components unless you are very careful. I think I was lucky to replace the screen and have all functionality restored after.

    And as I have said there may be other issues causing this that may be drivers or software related but not in my case I am just stating the solution that worked (for now) for me

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-01-30T19:59:42+00:00

    this is **** ****. does nothing to help **** microsoft

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-01-30T08:08:45+00:00

    For me it did not.

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