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
    2017-06-20T12:50:37+00:00

    The only reason I wouldn't recommend doing this is that Microsoft continues to ignore the problem. Meaning we don't actually know the root cause of the issue, im still on the fence about replacing my system or simply buying a non surface product as Microsoft's treatment of the issue has put me off the product (the very expensive product).

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-20T13:52:13+00:00

    For now I won't take the risk to change the screen, I think I can still bear it for another month or so and wait for MS's reponse, since some engineers from MS claimed that they are working on it in the thread...

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-20T16:03:09+00:00

    I too have a SP4 (i7/16GB/512GB) model and it is approaching a year old now. I must say it has been a most excellent device from portability to power. This said, and as I too have read, recently while using the machine, the screen will just scramble up (lines, jaggies, etc, full screen coverage) and then just as quickly, right itself and everything is fine. It happens somewhat frequently, but since it clears up without me touching anything, I am not sure what can be done.

    Circumstances under which this manifests is usually when the machine is being taxed and the CPU fan is running (audibly). I connect this device to the brick-based Surface Dock then onto a projector several times a day.  When the screen scrambling happens, there is no change to the output to the connected display device, only the attached screen.

    I update the device when they arrive, and none of the updates appear to have addressed anything related to the screen. Like others, I am potentially weary of sending it in for a refurb unit that may not be as maintained as mine.

    Overall I love the device, but I am fearful of impending hardware failure if the screen continues to behave as it is. I would think a $2200 device should last more than a year.

    Just thought I would share my experience.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-06-20T19:22:01+00:00

    Fyi -- I made the following changes and the shaking/flickering has markedly improved over the last week:

    a) I noticed a little bit of dust inside the top left ventilation holes where the surface fan and cpu are located.  From as far away as I could, I gently used compressed air across all the ventilation holes of the device.

    b) Switched default power profile to use active cooling first

    c) Softly cleaned the typepad connectors

    d) Disabled bluetooth -- Using video in firefox w/ bluetooth enabled always seemed to markedly increase the rate the surface crashed or that flickering occurred.

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