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.

0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
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]

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments

2,779 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2018-01-14T10:58:45+00:00

    Hi, Spy-D,

    nope. none of the solution works for my surface pro 4.

    I had reinstall whole surface pro with older version OS 1703, reinstall older version of display driver, disabling hyper-V, disable gaming option.

    And nope..none of it works.

    The flickering starts 3 months after the warranty finish. same like most of others in this post, i believe.

    The tech here saying I can pay less to get another refurbish one with only 3 years warranty. I am not going to do that too. the only way i am still using is that I am connecting to external monitor. which is pointless in some extend if consider the reason to buy SP4 for the 'mobility'.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2018-01-14T11:20:22+00:00

    Hi, Denis pitcher,

    Is it possible that you show me where the thread about replacing the screen using a part from china? I find no where so I thought of asking.

    thanks.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2018-01-14T13:50:06+00:00

    What about these strong magnets? Can they cause this problem? Cause it's nearly impossible to take same strength magnets to each devices...

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  4. Anonymous
    2018-01-14T16:19:07+00:00

    The same thing is happening to me.  It just started a few days ago and the suggested fix in the support section doesn't seem to work.  That is, there's some suggestions to check to see if it's an app etc. and then, if you discover it isn't an app, they suggest restarting in safe mode and deleting the display driver and then restarting and checking for updates.  This doesn't work.

    I hope they fix this issue because this is just brutal.  I mean, I can't use this computer if it keeps doing this.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments