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
    2019-03-29T06:48:56+00:00

    Pam - Empathy in spades from my side but unfortunately no help.

    MS support policy seems to be to put you in a Kafkaesque loop until you question your own sanity. The real kick in the teeth is when you press the email link only to be rerouted back the useless phone numbers. Strange that you think that this is Microsoft and they cannot connect you digitally in an age they helped create! As mentioned - a different story when you want to pay them for something which is suddenly very easy!

    Even when I went through the online realtime help from the Surface page (who said they dont deal with Surface issues) they sent me a link that got me back into the loop of death.

    This is not an accident but clearly deliberate policy to ensure that help for those who need it is as difficult as possible...

    Off to live in a cave

    RW

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-03-29T03:17:13+00:00

    the only way to stop the flickering is to hit it hard with a brick.......

    You cannot, it is a hardware fault and even Microsoft cannot fix it ....

    They offer exchange SP4 (read formatted old SP4) but most people have same problem in the reformatted one so either buy a new SP6 (I just did) or buy Dell.....

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-03-29T02:34:33+00:00

    How can I stop my screen from flickering?

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-03-28T22:36:57+00:00

    I am frustrated with the help with this surface shaky screen issue. I called support, they send me to microsoft for a tool to be sure i have updated  drivers and firmware - which i have done but did it anyway. I want to talk to a real person, this is crazy being passed around and resolution delayed when I know its the known issue and need to be able to use my computer without having to connect to a monitor. i get asked for my serial and all my info then i get passed to another place to look.  I NEED  HELP PLEASE!!!!!!

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