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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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
    2018-02-20T15:17:26+00:00

    May be we will have to organize a collective action....  And really, it start flickering just a few weeks after

    my own warranty has run out.  It's really a scandal!

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-20T13:11:53+00:00

    Microsoft, please do something about this problem. These are your products, and clearly many of us are experiencing this issue. I will not buy any of your products again if you fail to do so.

    Please note that this issue is getting a lot of coverage in the media, and is tarnishing your brand's image.

    This is really not acceptable.

    An example of the negative press you are getting:

    https://www.slashgear.com/surface-pro-4-flickering-screen-problem-remains-unsolved-05517952/ 

    Come now!

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-20T07:13:15+00:00

    Hi,

    The flickering/shaking screen issue that you are experiencing may be due to software-related concern. This could be addressed by installing the latest Firmware of your device. We suggest that you download and install it from this link. Choose all the updates from the list.

    If the issue still persists, we suggest that you download and run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit as it helps fix common Surface problems.

    Let us know if this helped resolve your concern.

    Regards.

    I also tried all the solutions proposed by Microsoft and nothing works.  I'm working abroad and it's very annoying to have my screen flickering all the time.  I have a surface pro 4, I hope that Microsoft will do something about this problem.  I don't think I'm still on guaranty and it's not normal that at the price I pay for this surface, it's not working after a little more than 1 year.  I will get in touch with Microsoft back to my country and I hope they can help to solve that problem.  It might be for sure my last surface ....  I had also lots of problem with the surface pro 3 but I decided to give them another chance.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-20T07:09:14+00:00

    HI,

    I have tried this and has had no effect on the issue.

    The problem is so bad the screen is practically unreadable straight from a hard reboot with no programs running.

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