According to the reports reaching us from our sources, Microsoft is officially launching a replacement program for Surface Pro 4 devices that are affected by screen flickering. All Surface Pro 4 units which are experiencing this issue will be covered up for a duration of three years from the time the device was originally purchased. On the company’s support page where it gave details regarding the program, it stated that, “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.”
The annoying flickering has been properly documented on the company’s support forums, according to our sources, some users were taking extreme steps like putting their Surface Pro 4 in a freezer to fix the issue temporarily. In February this year, Microsoft said that it was closely monitoring the situation and at the end it came down to a conclusion that there was no convenient way to fix it.
Some customers have already paid for a screen replacement to stop the flickering since the problem normally arises when a machine is out of warranty; according to Microsoft however, they will be “offered a refund.” The company noted that this three-year coverage does not extend to other problems that the Surface Pro might experience outside the period of warranty, it only applies to the screen problems. It is also worthy of note that replacement devices are refurbished and not brand new.
The so-called “Flickergate” has been yet another bump into the Surface line, and has been under attack by Consumer Reports for showing poor reliability over many years. A lot of Microsoft’s devices work perfectly, however, for those that don’t, the company is now trying to do the right thing.