Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous

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:

A video being played in browser
If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
If I use the touchpad
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***

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.***

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Anonymous

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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2,779 additional answers

Anonymous

2018-03-15T10:09:47+00:00

I just picked up my pro4 used. The glass was broke & replaced poorly. They super glued it on, touch screen didn't work due to a ribbon left unplugged. Unfortunately the ribbon was damaged from being out of place and a new screen is necessary. The display works great otherwise. Beautiful resolution, no bad pixels or anything. I ordered a screen online and it arrived today. Installed it and the lower half of the screen is flickering, & everything looks doubled up. The top half looks perfect though. I see that some others have the same issue with their original screens. Can they just be a bad screen? I went back to the screen with the bad touch & the display is perfect again so I assume that this screen is just a defective part, also the touch didn't work under my finger tip but instead across the screen. The part number matches the screen I have but I cannot be sure what was original equipment.

I give you credit for maintaining your sanity under such appalling treatment.
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Anonymous

2018-03-15T10:08:30+00:00

Seems like drivers are not the issue as you, Gavin and Patrik suggest. Hardware problem makes sense. My son-in-law as IBM tech noted that laptop screens flicker when old ribbon cables are squeezed (as can happen with all-in-one laptops from opening and closing them). Furthermore, if it was only a driver issue it would have been easy for them to have it fixed by now.

MS are offering to replace my SP4 even though it is about 9 months past warranty. This is good of them but they are dodging every question I ask about whether I will receive a new device or a refurbished device. The fact that they are dodging the question tells me it will be a refurbished device and I should be assured that it will give no problems. Looks like I have to go down this path and hope for the best.
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Anonymous

2018-03-15T07:13:33+00:00

I just picked up my pro4 used. The glass was broke & replaced poorly. They super glued it on, touch screen didn't work due to a ribbon left unplugged. Unfortunately the ribbon was damaged from being out of place and a new screen is necessary. The display works great otherwise. Beautiful resolution, no bad pixels or anything. I ordered a screen online and it arrived today. Installed it and the lower half of the screen is flickering, & everything looks doubled up. The top half looks perfect though. I see that some others have the same issue with their original screens. Can they just be a bad screen? I went back to the screen with the bad touch & the display is perfect again so I assume that this screen is just a defective part, also the touch didn't work under my finger tip but instead across the screen. The part number matches the screen I have but I cannot be sure what was original equipment.
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Anonymous

2018-03-14T18:23:55+00:00

I also tried applying the latest drivers, with no change in the flickering.

In my case, my Surface has "Intel HD Graphics 520". Previously I had the version 21.20.16.4627.

I went to the Intel site, downloaded the latest available driver, installed it, still had same flickering problem.

Just for fun, I also tried the older driver, 10.18.15.4256, from 2015. The screen still flicker with any of these drivers.

I am convinced that there is no software problem... it is a hardware problem, related to heating.
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