Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous

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:

A video being played in browser
If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
If I use the touchpad
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***

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.***

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

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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2,779 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-05-17T10:12:39+00:00

• Just to verify, can everyone confirm if all have installed the Creators Update?

Yes, all updates are installed.

• When you turn on the Surface, did you notice if the Surface logo flickers/shakes as well?

Yes, if it's been on for a while and I restart it will shake while the Surface logo is there.

• Does it occurs immediately after you logged in to Windows, or when working on a certain task? If so, how long does flickering/shaking last?

No matter what I do, the bottom third of the screen will begin shaking and is blurry

• Does your device connect to your external monitor/s via Surface docking station when this occurs?

No, but connecting to an external monitor works and looks fine.

• Are you using a splitter/adapter to connect directly to an external monitor without the docking station?

Nope, direct cable.
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Anonymous

2017-05-17T10:08:18+00:00

Sad to see you are having the same problem, there doesn't seem to be any action from Microsoft. Its even worse for me as my device just got out of its warranty period. The flickering has been happening since dec last year but not as severe as now.. I can barely read the bottom half of the screen without getting a headache.
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Anonymous

2017-05-17T03:27:48+00:00

• Just to verify, can everyone confirm if all have installed the Creators Update?

Yes, all updates are installed.

• When you turn on the Surface, did you notice if the Surface logo flickers/shakes as well?

Yes, if it's been on for a while and I restart it will shake while the Surface logo is there. It also shakes in UEFI.

• Does it occurs immediately after you logged in to Windows, or when working on a certain task? If so, how long does flickering/shaking last?

No matter what I do, after a couple minutes of being on, the bottom third of the screen will begin shaking, and it gets worse and worse until the screen is basically a blur that hurts to look at.

• Does your device connect to your external monitor/s via Surface docking station when this occurs?

No, but connecting to an external monitor works and looks fine.

• Are you using a splitter/adapter to connect directly to an external monitor without the docking station?

Nope, direct cable.
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Anonymous

2017-05-17T03:09:40+00:00

Hope that the issue will be seriously considered this time with this survey:

• Just to verify, can everyone confirm if all have installed the Creators Update?

Yes, I did.

• When you turn on the Surface, did you notice if the Surface logo flickers/shakes as well?

It does not flick in the cool start, but It DOES flick when the screen flicks after sometime of using and I try to restart.

• Does it occurs immediately after you logged in to Windows, or when working on a certain task? If so, how long does flickering/shaking last?

It happens when working on random tasks, Excel, Words, Chrome... and it last until I have to turn off.

• Does your device connect to your external monitor/s via Surface docking station when this occurs?

No, it does not.

• Are you using a splitter/adapter to connect directly to an external monitor without the docking station?

No, I do not.
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