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
    2017-06-15T12:29:20+00:00

    I've sent a message to the official surface Facebook page, that page is primarily used to promote the new Surface product but hopefully someone will at least give me some sort of a response.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-15T12:52:01+00:00

    So my phone call with Microsoft support yesterday was hilarious and frankly scary.

    They are archiving my support call I had opened by the @Surface_UK twitter account because it is "not a software issue and must require a repair" - which I have to fully pay for. This is despite Microsoft fully accepting there is an issue with the SP4 device on the phone (they have apparently read this community thread at length internally according to my support engineer). The cost? £333. 

    I asked to escalate this to the next line of management, but was told I was already at the highest level of escalation and I am not allowed to escalate this issue any higher. Microsoft will not be offering anyone compensation or a replacement device.

    This is now a joke. > 270 people have the same issue with the SP4, and that's only those who have found this thread and registered. 

    I think we have to start contacting media outlets about this - I fully accept failures happen, but with so many people affected this has to be a design flaw/batch of faulty components and some form of reimbursement must be considered.

    Microsoft can forget about me buying another Surface product again.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-15T13:03:41+00:00

    I suffered for many months with this problem, and I can 100% guarantee everyone on this forum that it's a HARDWARE ISSUE and not a software problem. Adding the seconds (and every other so called fix) only temporarily solved the flickering problem for a very short period of time. It's also definitely heat related.

    Why am I so sure? Because I took my SP4 in the Microsoft Sydney store and demanded that it was replaced with a brand new one. I then sat in the store and cloned my HDD onto an external device, and then cloned it back on to the new SP4.

    So NO software, drivers or any other possible firmware releases were installed, just a straight dump from one HDD to another, and I haven't had a single problem since.

    So for everyone who is suffering this problem, feel free to use this as a precedent and demand that your device is replaced with a brand new one!

    I think there's also good grounds for a class action against Microsoft here.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-06-15T14:24:38+00:00

    This is now a joke. > 270 people have the same issue with the SP4, and that's only those who have found this thread and registered.

    That is indeed very true. Many users from local forums have encountered the same problem. Hopefully MS will realize how severe the situation is, you don't want to lose a massive amount of users.

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