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
    2020-12-13T10:51:05+00:00

    I have this same issue. I own 2x Surface Pro 4. One with i7 and one with i5. The i5 was used extensively and just as the warranty expired, the screen flickering started occurring to the point where the SP4 is only usable with and external display. The only consolation is that this i5 version had a good run. I would still expect it to keep working for the premium that was paid for it. 

    The i7 is worse. It's for home use and only had intermittent use. It's the more expensive if the 2 and the same issue started occurring regardless. 

    According to the official support it's € 650 or so to exchange it for a refurbished one. 

    This is obviously Microsoft's issue from manufacturing and they still expect the user to pay as much as they would for a 2nd hand device.

    It's a very simple conclusion not to buy a Microsoft hardware anymore ever again. 

    Just for comparison, when I had an issue with a different premium brand and presented a manufacturing issue, they just replaced the product. That's why you pay the premium. And I'm happy to buy their products again and again.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-28T12:09:01+00:00

    Looks like I am going to have to act on a replacement tablet PC sooner rather than later. My SP4 has now gone into serious jitter mode while not working hard on video editing and while not getting very hot. To replace my SP4 with a Thinkpad X1 Tablet with similar specs to my SP4 will cost me about AU$3,500! Not to mention the time and effort to reload all my software.  Not happy at all :(

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-28T09:43:01+00:00

    If you are better at sorting out a petition why the hell did you not sort it out yourself?? Besides the fact mine is too the point. 

    I am sorry grahamhatley if my words hurt you, I take my words back. I didn't mean to hurt, just wanted to suggest.

    The reason I couldn't do myself is that I am not a native English speaker, and my English writing is not that formal and good enough to write-up the petition draft. 

    Anyways I apologise again for any inconvenience and harsh feelings you have perceived.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-09T16:02:57+00:00

    Just spent an hour on the phone with MS technical support with this issue...offered the option to pay for a replacement. I would have to send mine in, then wait for them to send a new one back. I'm highly dependent on this machine, and this would cost me ~2 weeks of lost productivity (in addition to what has already occurred). 

    These are such expensive machines, marketed as high-end. To have them predictably fail for thousands of users and then be offered the privilege of paying for a replacement is an insult. I have already contacted multiple class-action lawyers to encourage them to take action, and I recommend all other affected users do the same.

    1. Sign our petition https://www.change.org/p/microsoft-microsoft-surface-pro-4-screen-flickering-or-blurry?recruiter=845560982&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

    520 followers

    1. The class action was filed early this week, sign up. https://www.consumerclassactionlawyers.com/microsoft-surface-pro-4-flickering-screen-class-action-lawsuit-investigation.html?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjc18y&refsrc=email&iid=796f05f2076843059645d6e99399ea98&uid=734867867334791168&nid=244+281088008
    2.  Copy this message and post it everywhere you can

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