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
    2017-08-11T10:13:24+00:00

    #####SOLUTION##### (Maybe)

    As I mentioned in an earlier post, shaking only happens when there is no movement on the screen. Not sure if this occurs for others. To create constant movement on the screen, I added the seconds to the clock in the taskbar. Meaning there is never less than a second between movement.

    Whilst this isn't so much a fix as it is a workaround, it's working for me.

    You can find how to enable seconds on the taskbar clock here:

    http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/show-seconds-taskbar-clock-showsecondsinsystemclock/

    And I've updated the solution on superuser here:

    https://superuser.com/a/1239865/760365

    Hope it works for you.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-08-09T19:48:39+00:00

    Yes. The same is happening with my i5 core surface pro 4.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-08-09T17:53:50+00:00

    Ok ... no ... after about 5 days of normality ... the craziness has come back.  So ... yeah ...

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-08-09T13:18:26+00:00

    Hi All,

    My SP4 i7 is shaking violently and continuously now and does not feel hot at all.  It feels normal from a heat perspective.  This is a very disappointing flaw which is otherwise a brilliant product.  The product is no longer usable unless I attach it to a monitor.  I wonder if it only affects i7 products or whether it affects i5 products too.  I'd be interested in whether others are running i7 or i5 and experiencing this problem.  Mine is out of warranty now so it's been a waste of money buying it in the first place.  I certainly did not get the value and reasonable expected lifespan for the product.  MS nearly got this right but their Surface book product is a lemon.  If MS was moral about this, they would be open to its flaw given the volume of people experiencing the same issue and do a recall like car companies do.  This would give the buying public confidence that they are reputable company and stand behind their product.  Unfortunately I'm overseas and cant easily get this fixed with MS while travelling.  I'll contact them when I return.

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