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
    2017-08-04T10:15:08+00:00

    Just be careful with that "resolve"...

    As many on the Internet and here have already said they send you a replacement which is more than likely a recondition and after a little while you get your shake back.  For those in warranty it is not so bad, basically time spent being down until you migrate to the "new" system.  For those out of warranty its an expensive $400+ replacement.  Both of which doesn't fix the core issue.

    Timing wise from what I have seen and read a lot of times it happens right after your 1 year warranty expires.  Again, MS needs to come clean and fix it or provide their loyal customers with a brand new Surface with a full 1 year warranty.  Only that will make us whole again.

    I agree with you. After the new surface pro launched, MS's attention  moved to the newer productions. The component and architecture of pro 4 might not be changed. So it's probably to get another potential flawed pro 4 if you exchange/replace the original one.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-08-04T20:12:55+00:00

    Greetings, I speak to you with a headache and bleeding eyes from behind a flickering screen. 

    Last month my warranty ended, and so as if a conspiracy theory my screen flickering has begun.

    I have written my failed attempts in fixing this issue here https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/surface-pro-4-screen-flickering/1a438ff2-582b-4e9c-b8de-48016c51f446

    However, I have noticed something that was not mentioned in these threads, which is that a fan aimed at the screen solves the issue. It is not really a solution, but at least the flickering stop as long as the fan is aimed at it. (I am using a mini fan that is practically kissing the screen).

    Said fan need to be aimed at the middle of the screen from the front for the best outcome. Which also doubles as not being able to see the screen.  

    Since the overlords have given up on us. I hope that we can find a solution that is more effective. The fact that people have been dealing with this issue for a year now, is worrying.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-08-04T21:39:42+00:00

    My SP4 is still under warranty but I don't know what I am going to do with it just yet. From everything I've read online, I am confused about whether the screen flickering is caused by a hardware or a software malfunction.

    There is no doubt that the screen shaking is triggered when the device gets warm. There is a report of a test that used the cloned hard drive content from a defective surface into a new brand device to solve the problem. This indicates a hardware problem.

    I have been using mine intensively every single day, since day 1, in the same way and I haven't witnessed any problem until the Creators update. Since then, I have had the display flickering mainly when I am in a skype video call for some time or watching a movie. I am not the only one reporting the appearance of the flickering issue after the Creators update (I believe there is a thread mentioning this). So it's hard to be convinced that a flickering issue that appears just after a software update is due to a hardware problem and this coincidence happened to more than one user.

    If it is a hardware issue, I have no guarantee that a replacement won't get affected by the same problem. I'd rather prefer to ask for a refund and use the money to buy the new surface pro 2017, which has an improved heat management (from what I've read).

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-08-04T23:08:22+00:00

    Can we ask for money back?

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