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
    2017-11-04T12:23:55+00:00

    Please upvote this Reddit post to get it to the top /r/surface 

    https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7aqbxu/psa_if_you_are_having_the_screenflickering_issue

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-04T11:18:51+00:00

    Thanks Barb, 

    Spent the last 2 days in reaching out the online media and reviews outlets. Got very positive response from lots of them and some have already started giving coverage to the issue. 

    Unfortunately mine one flickers in UEFI screen as well and I believe that's the case with most of the effected devices. 

    Hoping for the best with all these efforts.

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  3. Barb Bowman 80,815 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-11-04T10:12:34+00:00

    The Domain of site has been updated to https://flickergate.com

    Kindly submit at least one photo of the flickering when sending your details as they are self explanatory. 

    contact the trade press and make noise. I can tell you that I've been emailing Microsoft about this since I saw the trending in

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro4-surfdrivers/surface-pro-4-screen-flickering-shacking/570165cb-50a0-4d71-bcb1-310ddd869d1d?auth=1

    which is over 80 pages long. And there are too many other threads to count.

    And I do not receive replies to my emails.

    If you can reproduce the shaking while on the UEFI screen before Windows boots (leave it on the UEFI screen and see if you can reproduce) then no amount of reimaging or other hoop jumping will fix this.

    The UEFI settings can be adjusted only during system startup. To load the UEFI

    firmware settings menu:

    1.Shut down your Surface.

    2.Press and hold the volume-up button on your Surface and at the same time,

    press and release the power button.

    3.When you see the Surface logo, release the volume-up button.

    The UEFI menu will display within a few seconds.

    I think it is important to try to repro this in the UEFI menu as a data point.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-04T04:27:08+00:00

    The Domain of site has been updated to https://flickergate.com

    Kindly submit at least one photo of the flickering when sending your details as they are self explanatory.

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