Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous

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:

A video being played in browser
If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
If I use the touchpad
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***

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.***

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

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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2,779 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-08-31T08:21:20+00:00

I took mine for repair only to find out an ugly truth about MS and Apple (probably others too). They said MS wouldn't fix it but will replace it with a Refurbished unit costing almost 90% of the original price!! I asked for clarification what is a refurbished unit. It is basically a returned unit by some other customer and 'known' problems were fixed to make it anew. Packaged and sold like new. You wouldn't know the difference and I do not think anything on the package would say it is a refurbished unit.

I have four SP4. Two of them were bought with extended warranty and they are working perfectly well. The other two was replacement units for my faulty units that were under warranty. Both this replacement units were gotten at no cost and comes with 1 year default warranty from MS. After a few weeks of warranty expiring, both the units started failing and one now cannot be powered on at all.

I think everyone should be aware of this ugly truth. Buy extended warranty if you think they are giving you a discount or even otherwise! But then that's an added cost! Really disappointed what people are taught or how they are raised!

I'm looking for alternatives. Any suggestions, other than Lenovo Helix and Acer Switch Alpha?

Perhaps.

But!

What I have to do to have my money back?
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Anonymous

2017-08-31T08:27:48+00:00

If you have no warranty or money back guarantee, there's nothing you can do!
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Anonymous

2017-08-31T08:40:15+00:00

I bought mine 4 months ago. The warranty is valid until abril 2019

What I have to do to see my money back!

I don't want a replacement!

TY
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Anonymous

2017-08-31T14:13:22+00:00

I took mine for repair only to find out an ugly truth about MS and Apple (probably others too). They said MS wouldn't fix it but will replace it with a Refurbished unit costing almost 90% of the original price!! I asked for clarification what is a refurbished unit. It is basically a returned unit by some other customer and 'known' problems were fixed to make it anew. Packaged and sold like new. You wouldn't know the difference and I do not think anything on the package would say it is a refurbished unit.

I have four SP4. Two of them were bought with extended warranty and they are working perfectly well. The other two was replacement units for my faulty units that were under warranty. Both this replacement units were gotten at no cost and comes with 1 year default warranty from MS. After a few weeks of warranty expiring, both the units started failing and one now cannot be powered on at all.

I think everyone should be aware of this ugly truth. Buy extended warranty if you think they are giving you a discount or even otherwise! But then that's an added cost! Really disappointed what people are taught or how they are raised!

I'm looking for alternatives. Any suggestions, other than Lenovo Helix and Acer Switch Alpha?

The best alternative to SP4 that I know of is the eve-V tablet, which comes with the type cover and pen.
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