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.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
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]

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

2,779 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2017-11-03T01:30:18+00:00

    My SP4 mysteriously stopped flickering too last month for about a week. Just as I puzzled over how the issue could have disappeared without any fixes introduced, the flickering came back for a vengeance. It was a short relief of 1 week, like being in the eye of the storm. 

    Last week, out of frustration, I replaced the video adapter driver with the latest version from Intel, then turned off panel-self-refresh and hyper-V. The flickering actually stopped the next day. But again, this has proven to be a false hope for a likely hardware issue due to poor quality parts used and/or engineering flaw. This time the calm lasted for only 3 days. Flickering has come back, in fact it is happening right now as I typed, blurring the screen so much I actually have to guess what I am typing... Frustrating! 

    Surface Pro has a nice form factor and design that has proven useful to many users, but I must say it is still a bad product. It is even more frustrating to see after so many reports of this consistent issue for such a long time (goes back in year), Microsoft either remains clueless or simply plays dumb not acknowledging the issue. While many victims paid thousands of dollars for an expensive device that lasts for only about a year and suffered from inconvenience and productivity loss, Microsoft gets off scotch free. Microsoft marketed Surface Pro as a premium product, and priced it accordingly, but it simply lacks of the required matching quality and reliability. Consumer Report is fully justified to withdraw recommendation for Surface Pro.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-02T07:08:59+00:00

    Surprisingly my issue disappeared two weeks ago, and so far no flickers despite heavy usage and heating. I had severe flickering of entire display area for more than 5 months, and first appeared in January

    Did anyone else experience this?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-02T06:54:51+00:00

    Thank you very much for your answer. So keep waiting, that other 600 is seems to be way much more, than it's worth, specially if it has a high chance to come with the same problem. Don't really know what to say though. :/

    Yes, the replacement device can also develop the same issue (Since Microsoft does not know what is causing it, and their solution is replacing display panel, which is not the Root cause), hence even I have not taken up their $600 replacement offer, instead chose to wait. 

    Surprisingly my issue disappeared two weeks ago, and so far no flickers despite heavy usage and heating. I had severe flickering of entire display area for more than 5 months, and first appeared in January

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-02T06:48:10+00:00

    Thank you very much for your answer. So keep waiting, that other 600 is seems to be way much more, than it's worth, specially if it has a high chance to come with the same problem. Don't really know what to say though. :/

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments