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
    2017-09-13T16:35:39+00:00

    Hi,

    I have the same flickering issue in my SP4. It started a few weeks ago. Everything went great, I was very pleased with this device.

    Flicker starts around 30-40 minutes after starting using the device and gets worst as it keeps going. 

    If I turn off the screen for a while, flicker stops after resuming but start quick after.

    It happens only in the lower third of the screen (Landscape orientation)

    I will contact Microsoft support to get an official answer on how to fix this.

    I am posting here just to be added into the statistics.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-09-13T16:38:17+00:00

    Hi, I am in the same position, what parts did you replace exactly so I can look for them here? Thanks

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-09-13T17:49:12+00:00

    Same here,

    What parts and at what cost? I thought the SP4 was non-serviceable.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-09-14T04:43:20+00:00

    I just wanted to update this thread on my experience. 

    I have already added my issue here, previously. My screen shakes begin from the top edge, after 4 or 5 lines first form. THe time from startup to the first shakes is approximately 20 minutes. After the first shakes appear, they get worse and worse till screen content is unreadable.

    However, over last two days, Ive noticed something weird. I left my screen on for hours despite the shakes, since I decided to cast its content to the TV via chromecast.

    The casted content on TV DOES NOT shake at all, and is fine, but the SP4 screen will be shaking. After an hour, the shaking abruptly stopped. Yes, I repeat, the shaking stopped. I was pleasantly surprised at first, so decided to replicate this. 

    Today, I replicated this for a second time. I put it into battery saver mode and left the screen on. THe shakes began after 20 minutes of usage and continue for 40 minutes, after which they abruptly stopped. The screen is back to being perfectly stable. I am typing now after it self-corrected. 

    My doubt now is that the issue is actually a self-correction effort by the screen to resolve a few dead pixels near the top. This is just a guess, but we may need to look into either disabling this self-correction mechanism or figure out what's causing these dead pixel lines.

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