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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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

2017-09-10T10:17:41+00:00

Did you clean the screen with something special or just wiped it with a soft cloth? Because I've wiped my screen several times and the problem still exists on both SP4s in my home.

Maybe you don't have the same problem. This is a very, very deep and annoying problem; one that Microsoft should recall the SP4s.

Very early I had issues with SP4. This is simply not a good product at all. Time for Microsoft to recall man. Apple would never have allowed this string of complaints to go on like this.
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Anonymous

2017-09-10T14:16:57+00:00

Has anyone had the screen shaking effect when the device is still in cold state? In the recent past, the flickering occurred when the SP4 heated up a bit while watching a video or during a long skype video call. Today, the screen shaking started by just opening a pdf document which turns the device completely useless.

I started a conversation with a MS collaborator who suggests me to do a full reset before proceeding to a replacement. I have always avoided the full reset because it's painful to install and customize everything again and it seems that it doesn't solve the problem. This time I am going to do it as I have to when I'll go for the replacement. I just fear that the SP4 they will send is worse for not being brand new.
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Anonymous

2017-09-11T00:15:00+00:00

Hi everyone..

Just come to know my surface got this problem about 2 weeks now. The bad news is my surface waranty is also out. If not mistaken.. most of the problem posted happen after waranty is out. Regret to have not using it before this (only using it frequently this month. As I recalled.. this happen after I update to the latest software. But not sure is it the update or due to frequent use recently. Thought it was something that will disappear after a simple restart but seeing this and many other posts that been going for nearly a year.. Sigh.. what are the MS is doing?

I already do all the basic thing that already been posted by others but still the problem exist. I think resetting the only thing that I haven't done because don't want to do all the setting and downloading again and have to backup all my work. Also seeing others posted resetting not helping the issue here..

I really regret because only using it intensively this month. All the waranty time is already wasted and now I'm stuck with the problem is strongly I believe product manufacturing fail by MS. I think MS should recall all their product and make announcement immediately.

Need advice from anybody.. What should I do from here..

thanks
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Anonymous

2017-09-11T02:19:15+00:00

Hi Everyone,

My SP4 has been working really well up until recently I had this issue of screen flickering. Read almost all the posts here and tried most of the solutions, nothing seems to be working.

I used my previous laptop for 6 years and it was only $700 and it gave me a really good service. Now I'm unable to invest on another one after buying this expensive SP4 which I have used for less the two years.

My question to MS (don't know whether will get the answer) is after getting so many complaints what are you going to do to solve the issue. We spend our hard earned money to buy products from you and in return we get faulty devices. This is not right. Unfortunately we don't have any platform where we can raise our voice.
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