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
    2018-07-02T22:11:58+00:00

    Please call Microsoft Hotline of your country and report flicker problem officially.

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  2. Barb Bowman 80,810 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-07-02T09:56:14+00:00

    >This is because Microsoft does not sell the Surface in Indonesia.

    Microsoft's response if you live in an unsupported country:

    "We appreciate your response. As an alternative option, if you have a friend

    and/or relative who are residing/lives in an official launch/released country,

    he or she will be able to set up the service (repair/replacement) request on

    your behalf. Then he/she can visit this link on how to get it serviced.

    Please be advised that in this scenario, sending the device to and from the

    non-launch country to friends or family in a launch country and then to the

    exchange center and back is a customer's responsibility. Microsoft will only pay

    for shipping to and from the exchange center and an address in an official

    launch country. The option to ship directly to an exchange center from a

    non-launch country is currently unavailable."

    https://answers.microsoft.com/message/3e8b7496-8a72-4d9a-9917-df8a3cef2dfe?threadId=5cdbee24-89ec-4ee4-9ba3-9de18caf46f1

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-07-02T07:40:56+00:00

    I have read this information, but the real problem is, I bought it in Indonesia (My Country) and not directly from Microsoft sales representative in 2016. This is because Microsoft does not sell the Surface in Indonesia.

    For more information, the flicker always happens after I use the device for more than 5 hours. And this is happened since January 2018.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-07-02T06:40:45+00:00

    the flickering started to happen a couple months ago, but then I started to notice that the flicker only happens when the surface gets too hot.

    So I tried to use it outdoor, where the temperature could reach 28-35 degree C and in an air conditioned room where the temperature is set on around 18-23 degree C, and it never once flickered when I use it in the room with an aircon. Can't say its good for the environment, but that's about as good as a solution that I could get for now.

    I also discussed this case with my friend who've experienced similar problem with surface-like laptop but with different brand. He mentioned that in his case, the problem lies within the cooling gel, as with age, the cooling gel will harden and less likely to dissipate any heat.

    Now that makes sense because most surfaces with this problem are beyond their 2 year warranty, but after some googling I cannot confirm that replacing cooling gel will actually solve the flickering problem in the surface. I am not even sure that Microsoft use similar cooling mechanisms.

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