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
    2017-05-25T00:27:11+00:00

    Joseph,

    This problem has been occurring for over 6 months, and now your telling us that the support engineer is still looking into it???

    Joseph, this is a hardware problem, no updates or software repair tools will fix it! Microsoft need to replace everyone's SP4 immediately with brand new devices, not refurbished ones, and offer compensation for all of the down time and inconvenience caused!

    What has happened here is totally unacceptable!

    Regards,

    Peter

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-05-25T00:38:10+00:00

    Hi to everyone here on this thread.

    Our support engineer still on the process to check this flickering/shaking issue on your Surface Pro 4. However, for other troubleshooting option, we also recommend to download and run the Software Repair Tool for Surface on this link.

    Let us know the outcome so we can add this to our report.

    Regards.

    Hi Joseph,

    If it helps, I was able to stop my screen jitter issue through advance power management setting by adjusting my Maximum Processor State to 78% and kept the fan speed on my corei5 surface pro to very low and thus removed screen jitter. The issue could also be linked with fan settings and heat as it appears when fans ramp up. The software engineer might want to look at this avenue for a fix too.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-05-25T01:49:03+00:00

    Hi Joseph,

    We do appreciate the update, but I agree with Peter above; this is indeed getting out of hand. So many months our devices have been rendered useless and your engineers are only now looking into it? Outrageous.

    As is obvious from the many responses thus far, the Software Repair Tool is of no help. Not even a factory reset fixes the problem.

    Another thing to add to your report; the press is finally catching on and releasing articles on this issue: Microsoft has no response to Surface Pro 4 screen flickers

    I do hope that the bad press would help hasten your team's effort in addressing this problem.

    Regards.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-05-25T08:28:20+00:00

    Software repair tool has been run numerous occasions. No help.

    WIll try the fan and CPU settings mentioned.

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