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
    2017-08-14T16:25:27+00:00

    I actually bought a USB-fan today. It keeps the back of the Surface nice and cool but it is still flickering. I do still believe that it is caused by overheating. The flickering isn't there when I start my device. Only occurs after some time. So the heat somewhere must get too high.

    Once the flickering is there, shutting down the device and restarting a bit later always gets rid of it. I don't really see why the CPU should be the central culprit. There are so many other parts in such an electronic device where currents pass and locally heat the circuits. Might be that even though the back of the Surface is cool somewhere a tiny component gets too hot and only cools enough if there is no current going through it. In my case the flickering always occurs even when the CPU is not particularly stressed.

    The flickering seems to be a continuous issue for a long time now. My problem got gradually worse and I can't recall that it first happened after an update. Of course that's anecdotal and not worth much. Do you have numbers regarding those spikes you mentioned? I'd be really interested in that. Also regarding your third point; screen activity was only a solution in the beginning for me. It only got worse and moving the mouse etc. doesn't help anymore.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-08-14T14:31:45+00:00

    Trust me, it's a hardware problem...

    I'm inclined to agree...partially.  I now think this is a firmware issue, not a hardware issue.  It's safe to rule out software though. The evidence for this is:

    1. A large spike in the issue reporting after recent updates
    2. Some users in the "insider" program are reporting that the issue is corrected with the latest insider update
    3. Mouse moving or screen refreshing applications fix the issue - if this was an issue with hardware failure, I do not believe that would correct the issue. 
    4. There's also other symptoms one would expect with heat related problems that we are not seeing - artifacting, lock-ups, etc.

    This is just an educated guess but I think the issue is likely stemming from intel's graphics acceleration or the display adapter, and more specifically the firmware for the intel integrated graphics or the display adapter itself.  I think it IS affected by heat, but not overheating as some have suggested.  I think the issue is with a bug related to throttling.  When the cpu gets hot enough, it throttles its speed somewhat.  This is why the issue is worse for some upon windows loading or heavy cpu usage, and is mollified by a fan for some users. 

    I have been monitoring my CPU temp and have not seen it jump or spike at all to suggest overheating, but I do see the issue creep up more when I'm using CPU heavy applications such as chrome.  This implies that the hardware and firmware are doing their job of keeping the CPU in an acceptable temp range, but something is going on when the CPU is more active that leads to the display adapter to bug out.

    Additionally, I've seen some report that the issue is appearing on new SP4's that were just recently updated.  This even further decreases the likelihood of hardware failure and points towards firmware.

    I'm curious though if there is other evidence that would point towards a hardware issue as opposed to firmware.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-08-14T13:00:50+00:00

    I too am having this problem on a brand new SP4, which is my work computer.  Very frustrating. Since it appears to be hardware related, I will be seeking a swap-out too.  What a letdown...

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-08-13T14:11:31+00:00

    Hahahaha I'm laughing out loud, I'm just screaming! Our Surface computers don't break after a couple of years, insists Microsoft

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