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.

0 comments
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]

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

2,779 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2019-09-06T05:04:18+00:00

    The problem seems to be overheating, which makes the internal fan work too hard and vibrate.

    If you have too many tabs in Chrome or your browser open, this will consume energy and generate heat.  Especially if they are video files you have open.  You can make the tabs go to sleep after a couple of minutes without use without closing them by installing the free app "The Great Suspender", which you can Google. 

    But more importantly, I found that by actually cooling the back of my Surface4 I can get it to work without jitters for a while.  I just put ice pads behind the screen and let it rest on those.  Sometimes I will wipe the ice pads over the screen.

    I hope this helps.

    Ted Oyama (just a customer)

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Deleted

    This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

    Comments have been turned off. Learn more

  3. Barb Bowman 80,805 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2019-09-05T17:08:05+00:00

    If you have this particular issue, there really is NO fix. We can't give you what does not exist. 

    Microsoft isn't offering a FIX, they are replacing entire devices with refurbished ones. And if you are past the 3 years, the out of warranty cost is now $600US.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2019-09-05T17:03:06+00:00

    I am aware of the process, I don't qualify for the free fix, so I need to try to fix it myself, need to know how

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments