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
    2017-11-23T03:50:17+00:00

    I bought my surface pro 4 early 2016 and noticed my screen shaking early 2017. I am from the Philippines so there is no official Microsoft support in the country. I have an i7, 16GB ram and 256 GB SSD for the unit. It cost me more than $2,000 here to acquire it. I opted to have it instead of an apple laptop because of its form factor. That I now regret. Hope Microsoft will acknowledge this problem and do something about it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-23T03:48:45+00:00

    My full screen is pretty much always shaking,  I have to use an external display monitor which works fine. Its been like this for months, definitely a hardware issue and no updates have helped, all drivers are up to date etc. Probably never buying a microsoft

    product again

    It's ridiculous. Back when I first purchased the Surface Pro 4 I was able to play an Indie game named Don't Starve for long hours and never encounter this screen stutter/flickering. Now however not only can I not run the game for more than 10 mins before the screen starts to shake, I can't even run Chrome with multiple tabs! Similar to you I am never purchasing another Microsoft product again. They messed with me over with the Xbox One, and now the Surface Pro 4. Complete ridiculous. And they even have the audacity to deny what the consumer report wrote about their product.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-23T02:45:20+00:00

    My full screen is pretty much always shaking,  I have to use an external display monitor which works fine. Its been like this for months, definitely a hardware issue and no updates have helped, all drivers are up to date etc. Probably never buying a microsoft product again

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-23T01:59:26+00:00

    My screen jitter occurs at the opposite times from the others here in that instead of occurring after heavy use, it only occurs when I first start using the SP4 and then soon goes away, almost as if it is triggered by the cold, not the heat.  Also, I don't see it much at home unless I have first had it at a different location and then return home.  When I go to a new location, I see it for awhile until the SP4 warms up or acclimates.  Not sure if it is the colder temps that occur when transporting (which is opposite of most who say that it is the heat) and/or the different router, but once it "settles in" at home, it is fine.  Very strange.  It sure would be nice to know if this is hardware or software.  I saw a post that said when returning his machine, they did a clean Windows install and before even signing in, it was there and the Tech said that indicated a basic hardware problem.  They need to get this figured out.

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