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
    2017-11-29T08:26:38+00:00

    So far I still do not understand why the screen theme has been jumped up to 100 pages, but I still do not see a side view of the microsoft representative. I have followed and read all the comments in this 100 page but any suggestions put forward to fix it do not solve the flickering screen. Can anyone call or comment to microsoft know this topic we are discussing?

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-29T08:05:57+00:00

    I've noticed the fan in my SP4 is often not running (or running at a low speed) when the flickering occurs. When I put a vacuum cleaner on the top-left air-vent the flickering stops within a few seconds. So it is temperature related and the heat dissipation is below par. I've cleaned the air vents and I'm pretty sure there is not much dust inside the fan. Now there are a couple of possible causes:

    1. The latest firmware-update changed the fan-control so it runs less often (software problem resulting in insufficient cooling);
    2. The framebuffer as stated by Ferdo is breaking down due to the number of operating hours/lifespan of the device (hardware problem getting worse over time);
    3. The framebuffer is breaking down because of 1 (hardware damage caused by insufficient cooling).

    Microsoft could at least try to do a firmware update to change the fan-control so the fan starts running earlier/higher at lower temperatures improving the cooling in order to avoid 2. This is something they could/should try ASAP since it can be done easily and rolled out fast. I've read some posts in the past from people complaining about the fans running at high speed making too much noise. Maybe Microsoft changed the fan-control to solve that complaint. But at the moment I rather have fans running at high speed with noise than the screen flickering which makes my expensive device useless!

    Something else I am curious about: Is the problem related to the i7 version of de SP4? It seems most people here have the i7 (but maybe I am biased). Probably those devices are used more intense so they have more running hours at higher temperatures. But it is interesting. Are there any reports of SP4 m3 (fanless) owners experiencing these problems? How about i5 owners?

    Final rant: I am really disappointed Microsoft does not respond to our complaints or even participates in this thread! It is very bad a premium device like this (which I really like in terms of form factor and specs) breaks down in the second year of ownership. Consumer Reports was right I'm afraid...

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-29T01:23:30+00:00

    Thanks for what I think is probably the first technically-motivated analysis I've seen of this problem. So, what would cause the problem to become more severe (because it certainly seems to do that)? Is it something irreversible (related to hardware)? Should Microsoft customers be worried about repeatedly running their SP4s heavily?

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-29T01:11:04+00:00

    stick around. cleaned my screen, still flickering. 

    you'd have been pretty popular if this had turned out to be the solution though!

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