Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Frankly, buying Surface Pro because it can be carry around with it size and "promised" power. Nobody going bring a fan with the SP4 outdoor, right?

Nevertheless, thanks for sharing. At least you are much better than MS who doesn't even response to all our complaint.

I believe those who own a SP4 that experiences this flickering screen is very upset and disappointed. I am sure we are not going to use any SP anymore before MS address and resolve our problem.

Meanwhile, I encourage anyone that is experiencing this problem to inform all their contact not to buy Surface until we get a good answer from MS. Only affecting their sales turnover will then force MS to response.

I've found a solution that helps a lot with the issue for me, but it's not really a great one.  I bought a USB powered fan that I plug into the SP4 power adapter and blow over the front and rear of my SP4.  I still get screen shaking on idle, but it takes quite a while longer before moving the mouse or touching the screen fails to stop the shaking.  In other words, the fan helps prevent the overheating issue from getting as bad as fast.  

It is, however, undeniably an overheating problem that gets worse and happens more frequently and more easily over time.  So don't expect that having them replace some parts will alleviate the issue for good.

I have the same issue... to reply to your bullet points:

• When did the screen start flickering?

few days ago

• What programs were running when you experienced the screen flickering?

movie player and web browser

• Are you encountering the screen shaking when you’re in UEFI settings?

Yes, screen flicker and image ghosting happen even in UEFI or when starting surface from USB live

• Did the issue occur when the device is connected to an external display?

Yes, the surface display still flicker. But not the external display. Note: taking a screenshot do not show any issue (either flicker, of course, and image ghosting).

• Can you confirm if the latest Windows and Surface updates were installed on your device?

Yes, they are.

• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?

Windows diagnose tools, windows update, windows help... starting with USB live, resetting Windows, and more.

What an "out of warranty" abuse...

I have applied all the suggested software updates, etc. The only thing that can minimise it is to run as few programs simultaneously as possible on it so that it is not using a lot of CPU and doesn't heat up as fast. And I have to leave an external fan blowing cool air on it. What a load of bollocks! My Acer and Compaq computers, although slower several years later, still work. I bought this Microsoft Surface Pro because I travel a lot and wanted something light. Not to mention the fact that Microsoft's own Windows 10 software did not work properly on the Microsoft Surface Pro! Clearly this is a design fault affecting thousands of users, and no adequate replacement solution has been forthcoming from this multibillion dollar multinational company. I contacted Microsoft Support, and the phone consultant sheepishly acknowledged they'd received many such complaints and said they *might* do something about it if a lot more people complained. If this does not get resolved, this will be the last Microsoft device I buy, and I will spend my money on alternative operating systems and software products in future.

For my case, this is definitely a temperature issue, but not quite as straightforward as "if it gets hot, it flickers". it seems more like "it flickers after a bunch of hours of continual use, whether or not that use includes CPU-intensive (heating) work, but is more likely if you've run some heavy apps". When I've seen flicker, it's ALWAYS been end of the work day, whether or not I was doing something particularly intensive at the time. There's definitely a relationship with temperature HISTORY, so I've tended of late to not run intensive things. Which, of course, means I'm not getting my money's worth. I wouldn't risk buying another one of these.