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
    2018-02-23T02:55:05+00:00

    Hi... thanks

    I saw the reports about the screen updating solutions lasting only for a while. Until I used those patches I noticed that the jitter was getting worse over time. I easily check it by going into powerpoint presentation mode where the cursor automatically disappears after a while. The plan is to use them  until MS or Intel come up with a more permanent solution - hopefully before the jitters catch up with the seconds counter or animated cursor.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-23T02:40:48+00:00

    You are having the same problem that is affecting thousands of people.  If you are still early in the process, sometimes having something updating the screen (an animated cursor, or a displayed clock) will cause the screen to be stable.  But that trick will only work for a limited period (few weeks to months).

    The problem is almost certainly hardware, and seems quite related to heat.  Personally, I can always induce the shaking by displaying a streaming video.  I monitor the internal temps, and the GPU is getting up to only 40-50C but the shaking starts.

    Where to go next??  If you are still under warranty, you could ask for a replacement or screen replacement.  If out of warranty, you can pay for a screen replacement (I think $400); but there are many reports that the replacement screens will still show this behaviour after a few months.

    Lots of people are putting the Surface in the freezer for a while to get a bit more time before the shaking starts.

    Best of luck.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-23T02:02:37+00:00

    I have a Surface Pro 4 i7 16GbRAM 512GbSSD.

    This should be able to handle anything I throw at it but now that I have started to do video processing using DirectorSuite I am having screen jitter problems.  I am not even working with 4K video (only1080p) but once I start the SP4 starts to heat up to a point where the back of the table is almost too hot to touch.  Well before this the screen starts to jitter making it unusable.

    Fortunately, I also use an external screen and this does not exhibit any jitter. See video link:  https://1drv.ms/v/s!AoKsIrVpbhj5jIxYZsJwoQvTuMshqw

    At first I though it may be problems with the Surface Dock since I had read about jitter problems caused by it. I updated the Dock firmware but nothing changed.  Then I disconnected the Dock and ran the external monitor directly off the display port on the SP4.  The result was the same - jitter on the SP4 screen but not on the external monitor.

    I am coming to the conclusion that the jitter on the SP4 may be a hardware issue as the tablet heats up so much when video processing.

    I note other comments that having another window open helps.  I often have Excel and Word active at the same time as the video processing. Not sure if this qualifies as having another window open.

    Where do I go next with a problem like this?

    I am considering looking for a better PC that can comfortably handle video processing.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-22T15:50:03+00:00

    Thank you for posting.  I applied the seconds display fix. Now I'm waiting to see if I get the flicker again.

    Hi, MeilehBurns, did your problem solve?

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