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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  1. Anonymous
    2018-03-31T15:35:27+00:00

    If you are still on guaranty I would suggest that you ask for a new surface, hoping that it will not have the same issues.  It's a real scandale that Microsoft do nothing about this problem.  Surely my last surface acquisition, you can be sure of that unless Microsoft find a definitive solution and send some excuses to their clients...  But I doubt they will.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-03-31T15:31:32+00:00

    I tried all the solutions found on the web also and nothing solves the problem.  Suddenly, the problem disappear and it's now 2 weeks I haven't seen the problem but it might be because I'm back home and I have the docking station and an external monitor.  You are right saying to save your money for buying something else.  It will be also my last surface PRO seing the way Microsoft treats his clients....  Every updates brings new problems... may be the last updates might have solved my problem, we never know for sure.  In my opinion, it's more an hardware problem and Microsoft should repair all the surface for free.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-03-31T15:06:36+00:00

    I did try but it did not help.

    It seems to me it is a hardware issue.

    When the issue happens, what I tried to do is turned off my surface and let it cool down.

    After some time the black lines and flickering might be disappeared.

    What I am trying to do is to buy an external monitor and use my surface as a desktop.

    However, in this way, it lost of the value for be being a premium hybrid device.

    Hopefully I can continue to use before other problems happened with my surface.

    I don't think sending the device to repair might help unless there is a real fix on this defect.

    I would rather save the money for a new mac or something else.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-03-31T13:08:31+00:00

    Hi Wilkins,

    Have you tried checking the resolution provided by Jasmine Car on this thread?

    Let us know how it goes.

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