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
    2018-05-09T21:19:00+00:00

    I have posted on this before and in my case it was definitely hardware. I tried all the software solutions and eventually decided to try to replace the screen. It was difficult to find the exact screen but eventually found one and with care removed the old screen and it solved the problem. There are several different screen variations and I think that some are faulty but its impossible to know what the good and bad ones are as Microsoft do not admit to this so we will probably never know

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-09T19:44:39+00:00

    Hi folks!

    Definitely a hardware issue and, in my case, related to movement on the screen. When it does start to vibrate, if I move the cursor, it stops. If I leave the cursor alone, a few seconds later, it starts to vibrate again.

    The fix I am using so far involves the setting of the desktop clock to display seconds as well and this seems to resolve my immediate issue although, if you look at something full screen that is static, like a picture or a document, and the clock is not displayed, it will start to vibrate again. Watching videos should be ok as there is always movement on the screen.

    The Surface pro4 I have also starts to warm up before this starts to happen and sometimes letting it cool down will fix it but only until it warms up again.

    A nasty problem that Micro$oft should be recalling the devices affected, not charging patrons more to get a replacement that will eventually do the same thing again!

    Too bad, too, because I really like the Surface generally! :(

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-05-09T19:30:26+00:00

    Hello Beatrix,

    Which Surface device do you have? Also, is it only happening when your streaming videos or does it occur all the time?

    We'll wait for your reply.

    Thank you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-05-09T15:30:43+00:00

    It's not related to drivers because is shaking SURFACE startup logo.

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