Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Attention Everyone!

I have been a victim of this issue since January of 2017. In this forum, you can find many of my posts stating and complaining about the same. I implemented all the "apparent" fixes listed in here and other help forums such as : 

1. Seconds Clock in Taskbar
2. Pinning TaskManager to one side of screen with Performance view
3. Capping CPU performance at 99% for both Battery and Plugged-in modes
4. Revert to older Graphics drivers, and re-update back to latest
5. BIOS settings 
6. Raised Support ticket with MIcrosoft, who offered to replace with a refurbished device for a fee
7. Use a table fan to keep the laptop cool

All of these had varying rates of success. One symptom that I noticed before the flickering occurred, were horizontal lines that appear on the top most region of the display area. At first, only 1 line appears, and then progressively more lines appear till there are around 10 lines. As soon as this 10 line threshold is reached, the screen abruptly begins to flicker. However, immediately switching off the screen by pressing the power button, and waiting for 5 minutes reset these lines back to 4 or 5, and I could get another 30 mins of usage till the 10th line developed again. 

At this point, I seriously suspected this to be a driver issue. The display lines appear progressively and have little correlation with heat, but rather more correlation with time. I think its something to with the way the screen refreshes itself. The 10th line kinda throw this algorithm of refreshing, out of wack, so we see the flickers.

Now, for the most interesting information. When Microsoft offered to give me a refurbished device, I knew that they werent sure if that one would develop the same issue as well, so I held out for a little longer, trying to see if we can get some confirmation later. But as I waited, my issue miraculously disappeared. Since last two weeks, the lines havnt been forming near the top of the screen, and hence, there is no flicker issue. Its as if my device as completely fixed itself.

I did a couple of unscientific stress tests, such as running some simulation software, 3D modelling, extensive parallel tasks with Office applications etc, and it still doesnt cause flickering. I wont push my luck further by trying to force it to re-appear, but safe to say, some software update or simply the passage of time, as fixed the issue.

Lastly, I would like to add that Ive been reading a lot of negative testimonials for this device purely due to this issue. I concede that Microsoft dropped the ball on this one. But the device is AMAZING. I repeat, its the most productive laptop Ive ever owned. Since the rectification of my problem, I have had more time to pause and reflect about this device, and there is nothing but positive feelings for it. My OneNote application is filled with random thoughts, story ideas, design ideas, drawings and doodles. Its like a thought journal that I created without intending to. The portability alone is a killer feature, allowing me to haul high end simulation models at my work, around the office without any issues.

Overall, I think I ended up with greater appreciation for this complicated and advanced hardware. The issue is sad, but also a complex one. I understand why Microsoft has had trouble dealing with it, and its their fault for not acknowledging it or making support easier for the victims. But as a product, this is a stellar one. Kudis.

Helpful post and a nice summary.  let us know if the issue stays resolved.  The refresh suggestion is an intesting one, but what I can't figure out is why using a secondary monitor has resolved the issue for people if it's a driver problem or an output problem.  It would seem specific to the touch screen display somehow, like the display hardware is malfunctioning.  I think that what happens is at first, heat causes the problem temporarily and over time heat induced damage causes the problem permanently so that cooling doesn't help anymore.  That too doesn't quite explain why yours suddenly stopped, except perhaps that failing hardware tends to exhibit inconsistent problems until it completely fails.  I'm hopeful that it's a software issue, but I don't believe it is.

I am not part of MS support team, yet I will say SORRY for your experience with the machine. I am not part of MS PR team, yet I understand what you're saying is grounded in reality. But you are not understanding the crucial difference between GOOD PRODUCT and RELIABLE MANUFACTURING.

This defect is arising due to reasons NOBODY knows. I can assure you, MS has probably got a full time team staring at flickering screens and trying to fix it. See, you know that even the refurbished unit has this issue. This means that MS doesnt know what is the ROOT CAUSE. They are currently just giving you a device with a new display unit, but since those are also getting the flicker, its clearly not a display unit problem. Somewhere deep within the LOGIC of the motherboard, there is some issue arising. Its connected to both hardware and software.

Since you are a medical student, I'll explain it this way: Imagine if patient is complaining of migraines and there is no sinus, tumor, clot, irregular blood flow, excessive pressure buildup or any other physically visible issue that can show up in scans. How will you fix his issue? The real problem could be psychological, or stemming from some complex interaction with his diet, or anything unrelated to the brain and cranium. Such issues are very complicated to diagnose correctly. At best, you can try trial and error method of medication to see which works, unfortunately, such a method cannot be applied to thousands of customer devices.

My original comment just stated that despite the manufacturing reliability issues, the concept/design/integration of the product are all excellent. If I wave a wand and magically fix your screen flicker, what would you then say about the device?

Apple products with same specifications cost twice as much, and even they have their own cosmos of issues. Just goto any apple support forum and there are plenty that are not being dealt by Apple in a responsible way. Infact, every company has one product or a few that have un-diagnosed issues. Only difference is that Apple can afford to offer free replacements, whereas Microsoft hardware division isn't that rich.

Still youtube videos says apple has the same problem and is not more reliable on this issue.

Same experience here with little but a serious difference..... in my sp4 the problems ( same as mentioned by u ) reappeared after a brief period of normalcy.

So how can u say that it's a stellar machine.... see, I also admit that the form factor, the features, portability.... all are great with sp4...but a machine with this pricetag should be much more reliable, isn'tit?!!!??? The present unit of mine is the second one which is a replacement unit for the 1st defective new one( the first unit was defective from the day one of its Delivery!!!).... now they are saying that they will replace this one with a refurbished one!!!! 

It's very unfortunate that Microsoft machines have many issues which make it very unreliable.... just see the list of complaints of its user....

Isn't Apple a much better choice in terms of everything taken into account? I chose Microsoft over Apple seeing the sp4 initially....but after using it for about 1 year I am being compelled to think different.... my sp4 ditched me in a very crucial moment of my life.... it's the time just before my post graduate medical entrance exam.... and I had to buy another laptop !!!!