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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Answer accepted by question author
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
    2019-01-31T14:01:10+00:00

    Hi.i have a surface pro 4 in Turkey.My surface pro 4 screen also flickers.But in Turkey microsoft has no store.So what can i do?i call your call service number in Turkey many times but i can reach nobody.Your call service number is 0 850 390 27 77.i tried to caontact with  microsoft.com but i didn't manage.Your call service is useless.

    i hope you will contact with me and tell me what to do.

    e mail: ******@outlook.com

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  2. Barb Bowman 80,810 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2019-01-25T14:35:12+00:00

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4230448/surface-pro-4-screen-flicker

    This is 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
    2019-01-23T14:10:43+00:00

    Thanks Microsoft today I have got the replaced new SP4.

    I also faced the same problem like you.

    I am in Bangladesh but I bought my SP4 from UAE.

    I send my device back to UAE through my friend and they replace it with a new device.

    you can also do the same

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-01-22T06:14:36+00:00

    "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."

    Small percentage??!!

    I have two of them, one for me and one for my wife and both are doing it.  One is a SP3 I bought three years ago and the other a 4 I bought 2 and a half years ago.

    In Asia where it costs tons of cash to get anything sent here and sending even worse so, guess we're hooped.

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