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

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
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
    2017-12-09T06:15:45+00:00

    Someone posted older drivers a few days ago and when I regressed to these drivers, I've not had the problem since.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-12-09T09:24:10+00:00

    I just had the auto install put in some new drivers into the old Surface Pro 4 with a little shaking in the screen

    The results so far is good no shack.  I am putting a heavy load and heating it up to see what happens.

    The install went pretty fast so some of the numbers below may not be accurate:

    Intel HID Class 8/12/17

    Intel  update management engine interface 1.2.0.99

    Surface Driver update Surface ME

    Surface Driver update Surface UEFI

    Surface Driver update Surface system A99 ???

    2017-11 Cumulative update KB4051963

    I'll be using it heavily all next week and will post later results

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-12-09T18:22:49+00:00

    I have had the same issue now for almost 6 months and it has been getting progressively worse. I was hoping that a fix would be released but now I'm afraid that it is likely a hardware issue affecting the early units of the Surface Pro 4 and Microsoft are reluctant to address the issue.

    After switching from Apple it is very disappointing to have this first experience with a Microsoft product, and now my friends who laughed at me for switching are feeling pretty smug :(

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-12-09T18:25:33+00:00

    I have had the same issue now for almost 6 months and it has been getting progressively worse. I was hoping that a fix would be released but now I'm afraid that it is likely a hardware issue affecting the early units of the Surface Pro 4 and Microsoft are reluctant to address the issue.

    After switching from Apple it is very disappointing to have this first experience with a Microsoft product, and now my friends who laughed at me for switching are feeling pretty smug :( 

    RIGHT!!!!

    I didn't even switch, I'm still an Apple user  (iMac) but I wanted a powerful touch laptop for side tasks and couch uses which apple doesn't have, and this is what I get ....

    damn it feels ugly (I only used it for 1 week)

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