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
    2017-11-05T12:40:15+00:00

    You took the words out of my mouth. For me, replacement will cost upto $600 just in postal service. (Excluding the hazards or sending and receiving). Only thing I am doing currently is to point out this problem again and again on twitter to surface team. https://twitter.com/surface

     And I ask you guys to do the same.

    The support team didn't even called me. I don't think they are even considering to diagnose the problem. let alone fixing it. I would have never complained if it was a moderately priced device, but for such a premium device, its a point of shame for Microsoft

    team.

    Agreed. My SP4 screen shakes.  I brought it in to a Microsoft store.  They said it's a hardware issue and can't do anything since it's out of warranty.  They would switch my SP4 for a different used one for $400.  I'm thinking: I spent $1000 on this thing two years ago and now it's not working right - I'm not spending another dime on a Surface Pro!  Sheesh!

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  2. Barb Bowman 80,815 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-11-05T10:30:33+00:00

    It would be great if you could upload a video showing screen shake in the UEFI

    to Youtube.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-05T04:21:04+00:00

    I have added another form for submitting media files along with the issue here https://flickergate.com/contact-us 

    If you want to update your issue, just re submit it with updated data i.e message/file etc. 

    For multiple files, drop me an email screwSurface [@] abbasharoon.me 

    Just a reminder that if you haven't already uploaded a video, please resubmit a video as directed by @Barb Bowman (showing the UEFI screen)

    Thanks.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-05T03:39:34+00:00

    I have added another form for submitting media files along with the issue here https://flickergate.com/contact-us 

    All of the submitted forms have been published on the site. Some guys submitted just one sentence, I have sent email to those. Please include some details and reply back. 

    If you want to update your issue, just re submit it with updated data i.e message/file etc. 

    For multiple files, drop me an email screwSurface [@] abbasharoon.me 

    For those of us who are spreading the message on various social platforms, I suggest that you should get an account on the site to see the stats of visitors and hence analyze which channel is working and which isn't. 

    We received 500+ visitors in last 24 hours. 90% of them were from Reddit and Twitter. There are lots of potential customers querying about surface pro from MS' official account, search queries like "Surface Pro 4", "SP4" etc will give you a list of those tweets. Inform them and tag @Surface in your tweets. I have been nearly spamming them and its working. 

    A hashtag like #SurfaceFlicker or #FlickerGate etc will be better to unify our efforts. 

    If someone is using any other technique, please share with us.

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