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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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-20T16:42:39+00:00

    How do you get MS to honour the two year European rules? I am in similar situation as of today, and have a month before the 2nd year runs out.

    You need to make contact with the store of purchase. Somehow the European warranty absolves Microsoft of responsibility and passes it on to the retailer.

    Still try Microsoft Support first, via chat or phone. Also consider emailing wehelp@microsoft.com

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-20T16:41:31+00:00

    Hi guys,

    I had the same issue with my top Surface Pro 4 i7. I've used it around 1,5 years and right after updating to Fall Creators Update I've got the screen jumping. It was both inside the Windows and UEFI screens so I assumed it was hardware problem. But anyway I've tried to rollback to last working state before update. This didn't solved the problem.

    Then I found the hotfix https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3165497/surface-pro-4-or-surface-book-experiences-phantom-touch-input-on-the-s  for the phantom touches because I had this issue as well (from time to time maybe around 2-3 times per working day I got phantom touches at the top left corner of the screen where my start button and taskbar is so it was opening new applications sometimes). So I've applied that fix and right after that my screen started to work fine. So 3 weeks from that moment till now I have no phantom touches as well as no flickering or jumping pixels anymore. I don't know if it is a placebo or not but hope this can help someone too.

    except these devices aren't experiencing phantom touches. I don't think this fix is applicable.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-20T14:09:04+00:00

    They have to. It is the law. And they do. When I check the warranty status of my device it states my device is covered until april next year (bought it april 2016).

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