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
    2017-06-11T22:31:43+00:00

    I too am extremely disappointed with my surface pro 4.  It is the ideal size and weight for me, but this flickering screen is very, very annoying.  I bought four surface products already; two surface pro 3 and two surface pro 4.  That is how much I loved the product.  I invested for my other family members. 

    The flickering also causes a delay with everything being done on the surface.  That is if I am typing, or doing a transcript as I am a court reporter, one line of work stays one place and the other line of work seem to be covering that first line.  Then there is a physical drop down of the first line so you see the two separate lines.  It is like everything is doubling up.  I don't know if the refresh rate just slows all the way down.  I just don't know.  And this is happening with my daughter's pro 4 as well.  So the two pro 4s are having the same defect.

    I am living outside of the US, so it is difficult to get this changed.  This is very frustrating.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-11T14:39:03+00:00

    Oh actually I should have been a bit clearer; you can't actually see the flashing (that would be annoying), as the dark grey is really almost black.

    But yeah, using the seconds counter is also another way to "fix" the issue for now.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-11T12:45:23+00:00

    I would rather have the seconds counter added to the clock on the Task Bar than a flashing square, but all credit to you for trying to short circuit the problem.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-06-11T12:02:30+00:00

    Seeing how having any activity on the screen seems to stop the flickering for some people (including me), I built a small app that fixes the issue until MS can come up with a proper fix.

    It simply displays a small square alternating between very dark grey and black every second (you can't actually see the flashing). You can drag it out to a corner of your screen and the flicker stops (at least it does on my SP4).

    The source code is on GitHub with a small description on how to use it: https://github.com/nicodeslandes/FlashingWindow

    And here's a link to the exe for it: https://github.com/nicodeslandes/FlashingWindow/releases/download/1.0.4/FlashingWindow.exe

    Hope it helps while MS works on the issue!

    Nico

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