Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous

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:

A video being played in browser
If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
If I use the touchpad
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***

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.***

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

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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2,779 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-11-03T07:36:57+00:00

Also note that my model SP4 with core i5 processor doesn't have an internal fan.

My SP3 i5 with internal fan doesn't have the flickering/shacking display problem.

Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that the sp4 i5 & i7 both have internal fans and its the 2017 i5 that doesn't.

I bought my SP4 i5 in June 2017 so I'm pretty sure its a 2017 model. I definitely have never heard a fan operating in it.
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Anonymous

2017-11-03T07:29:29+00:00

drop me an email at *** Email address is removed for privacy ***

Just to let you know @AbbasHaroon that we can't see your email because its being blocked for privacy.
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Anonymous

2017-11-03T07:27:27+00:00

Also note that my model SP4 with core i5 processor doesn't have an internal fan.

My SP3 i5 with internal fan doesn't have the flickering/shacking display problem.

Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that the sp4 i5 & i7 both have internal fans and its the 2017 i5 that doesn't.
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Anonymous

2017-11-03T07:08:08+00:00

Some observations

I found another workaround, (instead of an external fan) was extending the display to a connected display. In this case a Dell display connected wirelessly.

So, nothing displayed on the surface screen, and just working off the dell screen.

There was no flickering/shacking on the external display, which suggests to me that heating of certain components in close proximity to each other within the SP4 casing are aggravating the problem. Distance the physical display away from the heat source and the problem goes away.

Also note that my model SP4 with core i5 processor doesn't have an internal fan.

My SP3 i5 with internal fan doesn't have the flickering/shacking display problem.

I think the SP4's with faster processors have internal fans so it would be interesting to know if anyone is having display problems with those models ?
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