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
    2017-06-28T11:45:19+00:00

    UPDATE****

    I've been speaking with the guys from the Facebook surface page and I decided to ring Microsoft (Sure that bill will be nice and high at the end of the month...). The lady i spoke to on the phone was very polite but reiterated the fact we have all heard now that they will not replace units that are out of warranty. 

    I asked what would happen if the problem arose in the new unit in another 16 months, the answer to this was that it would be out of warranty so I once again would have to foot the bill. The lady did mention that the issue is rare and have a small prompt from me mentioned that it is also impacted by extended use/overheating. I mentioned that my system gets used everyday so that this "rare" issue could reoccur but was once again told that the issue is rare and that the chance of it striking again is unlikely. 

    I paid roughly £1200 for my unit on release, 2 years later I am being asked to pay £400 (plus expensive call >_>) to replace the unit with no guarantee that the same issue will not arise again (Because the issue has yet to be fixed and is instead labelled "rare"). If this rare issue does occur again I will have to foot the bill once more with another £400. That could leave me with a grand total of £2000 spent on my Surface with £800 being spent on replacing faults.

    Really enjoyed using my Surface but this issue has made me consider moving to rival systems or simply scrapping my tablet and purchasing a laptop. If the Facebook team get back to me with any relevant information I shall post an update.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-27T21:55:21+00:00

    My taskbar flickering problem stopped after running the Microsoft Software Repair Tool.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-27T19:30:15+00:00

    So, I managed to go almost 10-12 days w/o any significant screen shaking, but it re-occurred this morning.

    What is interesting about today is that when I went to turn on the SP4 for the day, I noticed that it had not powered down from the night before...the power rule about shutting down after x hours of inactivity hadn't triggered.  And, I remember that on the days I had shaking in the past, the same behavior had occurred.  So, it almost seems like there is some kind of software/firmware bug that when it gets triggered first disables auto-hibernation and then later when the system heats up causes shaking.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-06-24T11:36:51+00:00

    On my SP4 flickering occurs when there is nothing going on the screen. 

    Even when the date and time open where the seconds are ticking the screen does not flicker. 

    The flicker stops on every passing minute but starts again in few seconds. 

    Screen even flickers in UEFI mode and Advanced startup mode.

    Tried to remove Intel Graphics driver, but didn't help.

    So the only solution was to make the task bar show the seconds ticking. 

    Here is the tutorial:

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/73967-hide-show-seconds-taskbar-clock-windows-10-a-2.html

    Now I don't have flickers, but will have to see for how long that solution helps.

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