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
    2017-08-29T05:37:49+00:00

    Yesterday I ran my i7 SP4 most of the day connected and projecting to only a single external monitor.  Occasionally I would turn on the SP4 display and I did not experience any flickering.  Not sure if this good behaviour is sustainable.  I'll see over the next few days.  This is still not a good solution as I cant use it as a portable device.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-08-28T19:16:34+00:00

    Well the biggest software that installed in my sp4 is photoshop cc which is only 3.18 GB. And also the flickers start even when i'm not running it, it is starting to flicker when i'm using my sp4 for a while (2-3 hours) i think it's still a heat issue. But it's still worth a try :)

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-08-28T18:50:17+00:00

    Dear Guy!

    This might be hurt you a lot, as I am experienced with the SP4. Just don't worry! It is easy enough to fix this.

    First, I n eed to ask you something!

    1. Are you running a more than 10GB program and screen is shaking?
    2. Does that need more Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) to support?

    I am sure that you say YES!

    What you need to do is:

    • Shrink Volume: You need to shrink drive (C:)
    • Create New Volume (Whatever you wanna call it)Link Here :

    ***"***https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJiakVgAtn4"

    • Copy and paste or reinstall the program that you run and screen was starting shaking to New Volume you created (This might be drive "D:" or "E:"...)
    • Restart PC! And Enjoy that program

    In my opinion, there might be Speed of ROM when it is nearly full, it works slower than your program need (Simple Explain!). It is because of the logical circuits running in many algorithms needed for this SSD works not properly (Search Algorithm).

    ->This you need a new Partition to run Search Algorithm faster!

    ->It can be about the GPU is not enough speed to support the program!

    This might help someone. And it is too long to write this. Also, sorry for messing up this page :)

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-08-27T17:12:50+00:00

    The issue has degraded now so that using the seconds in the item bar at the bottom of the screen no longer works as a satisfactory workaround. I hope from the bottom of my heart that the mismanagement of this issue is uncovered by mainstream media and Microsoft is exposed for the swindlers they have become. I am happy I have held off a few people from making a purchase of this product until I could report a satisfactory response. NOW the report is DO NOT purchase. Not only is this a terrible investment, the time I will lose out on this is costly as well.

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