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
    2020-04-13T15:08:15+00:00

    My surfac pro 4 is experiencing this screen flickering issue. It's not eligible for replacement according to your webpage. I want to know how can I at least get my screen replaced at my own cost.

    Kindly help

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-04-13T11:29:34+00:00

    out of warranty ,,how to fix

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-04-13T09:40:21+00:00

    I have this problem which manifested itself 3 months after the Microsoft extended warranty expired.  I have battled with Microsoft in writing and via the phone and they are unwilling to budge and offer me any solution other than offer me a surface pro 5 at an exorbitant price. I am also planning to lodge a complaint with ACCC as I am also in Australia. 

    Regardless of the outcome of my complaint I will never buy a Microsoft product again. I bought this surface Pro under the impression a company as large as Microsoft charging a premium price for their product would be using high quality components. How wrong was I. It is obvious they know their product is not fit for purpose as they did extend their warranty for this fault.  Good luck with your complaints everyone.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-04-13T04:02:03+00:00

    I acknowledged that Microsoft is obligated to recall all hardware issues due to it's own fault, and should have replace it without any cost to us, the consumers. Afterall, we have spent a premium price for this piece of hardware.

    2 years back, I've encountered the very same issue, screen flickering and Microsoft replaced my original SP4 with a refurbished unit of SP4. It does look brand new back then. And i was satisfied with the replacement. Unfortunately last week, this replacement  SP4 started giving me this same problem again. 

    My problem is, when i checked on the replacement SP4 unit, the warranty expires, as it only comes with 1 year warranty. Mind you, i've my original SP4 comes with a 2 years warranty (additional add on purchase). Now that Microsoft had replaced my original unit, this replacement unit comes with 1 year warranty only. When i checked again on Microsoft Support Page, my original unit warranty is still valid!

    i've contacted Microsoft about this, they refused to give me warranty for this replacement unit, because its only for 1 year validity. How about my 2 years warranty on my original unit, which is still valid till 21st of May 2020!! They gave me these 2 options, which i've rejected both and demanded them to honor my original unit sp4 warranty validity.

    • The first option is a $200/¥21,000 credit towards the purchase of a new device. -
    • The second option is that we may also process an Out of Warranty upgrade replacement order for your device towards a Surface Pro 5^th^ Gen unit for only $599.

    I've been arguing with them thru emails, last email was last 2 weeks back... till now they have not come back to me yet. I've attached screen shot as proof. hopefully they will honor their warranty claim.

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