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
    2018-05-09T14:57:55+00:00

    Hi, I have same problem. It's related to temperature for sure. I checked drivers, nothing helped. Any idea how to continue ?

    I have latest drivers installed - Iris Graphics 540 (Driver provider Intel Corporation, version 21.20.16.4627)

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-09T06:13:59+00:00

    I have the same problem too. It started about a week ago, on Friday 4th may and I was just watching youtube on google chrome. 

    Help?

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-05-06T00:09:24+00:00

    I believe this is not software issue, it is hardware. there is no reliable and permanent solution for this problem - just googling it, and you'll find thousand frustrated user just like me. (https://flickergate.com/)

    Shaking screen usually occur when your surface heating up - when your surface 4 fans sound louder, it means your surface heating up, right before your screen shaking again.

    it might be delay shaking for long time when your "computer not charging" PLUS using power mode to "best battery life".

    charging quicken your computer heating up.

    using best performance quicken your computer heating up.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-05-05T01:18:59+00:00

    I agree there is no way its software or a hard reset would fix it. The device gets very hot and overtime it looks like the GPU doesn't like it. searching on the web this is so well documented and seems to affect LOTS of surface owners. I am a raving fan of the device aside from this issue. I was able to resolve it with a best buy geek squad warranty replacement. That said it could only be a matter of time before my replacement suffers the same fate... or it could have been a bad batch that went out. Perhaps the next generation is much better. I will still stick with a surface for my next replacement unless by then they find to have more concerns.

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