[lostmarine]

I have WiFi on all the time and have my screen brightness turned all the way down and haven't had a screen flicker once. Perhaps you have a faulty device or I am blind.

I also put it on auto detect for a couple hours and haven't had a screen flicker.

You should try and catch it on video.

Update: I looked it up on YouTube...



That is crazy has to be a bad device mine doesn't do that.
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[igjoe]

I've been watching as many forums as I can about this issue because I returned my 16gb version and won't buy a new one until I know I won't get the flickering.

Looks like someone got an answer from Google over at xda regarding the flicker issue. If he's being honest, it sounds like it's a hardware issue that is being fixed with newer builds of the tablet.

Here is a link to the person who got an answer:

Also, here is an interesting article that's speculating the shipment delays are due to hardware issues rather than just demand:

[dean411]

I see the same problem, there is some power regulation problem such that when the WIFI is trying to shout out at full power, it sucks power from the backlight, causing a noticable "flicker" especially if it's a white screen of page not yet rendered.

I just got my nexus 7 yesterday and noticed the same screen flicker. Installed the new update bit to an avail. I did notice that its most noticeable when my WiFi signal is low and I am I a dark room. Although I did try to disable the auto brightness, however that did not help. I got mine from GameStop. Next test is yo yes it in a dark room, with low WiFi signal (further from my router) and have the charger plugged in. Maybe there is something going on with the power drain when WiFi has to work harder.

[Nascar Dog]

I have WiFi on all the time and have my screen brightness turned all the way down and haven't had a screen flicker once. Perhaps you have a faulty device or I am blind.

I also put it on auto detect for a couple hours and haven't had a screen flicker.

If you have a strong wifi signal, you will not see the flicker problem.

[betsuni]

Interesting, so Google will only send you a replacement if you bought it directly from them? Has anybody tried to contact ASUS and see if they will also send a replacement unit?

I'll have to go look at my box and find the build number for mine to help figure out a pattern in the build batches for your XDA thread Nascar Dog.

[pete_lockwood]

I got mine from Google but called ASUS and they were willing to give me an RMA number. Difference is they want the unit back for testing before they ship out a replacement.

edit: I only called ASUS in the hope they'd have a clue. They didn't. Google will be getting mine back.

[kenyee]

I have WiFi on all the time and have my screen brightness turned all the way down and haven't had a screen flicker once. Perhaps you have a faulty device or I am blind.

Ditto what Nascar said. If you have full bars on your wifi indicator, you probably won't see the flicker though you might once in a while.
I've been thinking they could have missed it because they probably tested in a lab w/ lots of signal strength...

And I posted on Asus' facebook page...they just said get another one. Gotta wonder who's footing the bill for all these exchanges, but that also means there are going to a lot of refurbs after a while if people want it cheaper... :-P

[pete_lockwood]

Gotta figure ASUS built the thing, it's their problem to replace/repair 'em.

[dcosta43]

I'm on my second nexus 7, my first one had bad ghosting but no flickering, this one has flickering and its definitely has to do with WiFi, so what you guys think? Return this one too ?

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[kenyee]

I'm on my second nexus 7, my first one had bad ghosting but no flickering, this one has flickering and its definitely has to do with WiFi, so what you guys think? Return this one too ?

If you don't have full bars all the time (not close enough to your wifi router), I'd suggest returning it and waiting another month before buying another one.
Asus has to be aware of this issue by now...someone in the XDA thread said the newer ones have that fix.
I just got a new one from Staples (exchanged for one w/ light bleed on the backlight) and it still has the flicker problem...very noticable w/ weak wifi signal...barely noticable on strong wifi. At least they seem to have fixed the left edge of the screen popping up in this batch :-P

[dcosta43]

If you don't have full bars all the time (not close enough to your wifi router), I'd suggest returning it and waiting another month before buying another one.
Asus has to be aware of this issue by now...someone in the XDA thread said the newer ones have that fix.
I just got a new one from Staples (exchanged for one w/ light bleed on the backlight) and it still has the flicker problem...very noticable w/ weak wifi signal...barely noticable on strong wifi. At least they seem to have fixed the left edge of the screen popping up in this batch :-P

My wifi bar was full, from what i noticed it was flickering anytime it was attempting to download something, which meant while web browsing and loading a webpage it would flicker as well as watching a netflix movie (but it was hard to notice) I just returned it to staples, got a refund, and I am just gonna wait till i come back from after vacation and hope a new batch is out and the bugs are ironed out. The flicker is a defect, since my first one didnt do it, and the screen retention is also a defect, since my second one didnt do it (actually it did very very lightly, but no where near as bad as the first one). Staples doesnt have any more replacements for me but im worried that now i would get one with a glass separation issue or bleeding issue. As much as I hate being without it, I would just recommend everyone to keep sending the defective ones back, that way they have to do something about the quality control.

[igjoe]

I FINALLY got an answer from Google about this flickering issue.

I sent them an email just asking them if it was a hardware or software issue so I could decide whether or not to return the device. A week later, after I had returned my device already, they told me they couldn't guarantee my warranty since I didn't buy from them and to return the device to my retailer, but still didn't answer my question of hardware or software. I politely asked again and a few days later I got this response:

Thank you for being so patient, we are addressing emails as quickly as possible. The flickering of brightness on your screen is a hardware. We have been offering returns on the device or a replacement. This issue has been addressed and the replacements sent out will not have the same issues.

If you have any questions or if I have not answered your questions well enough please feel free to reply to this email.

Regards,

Ashley
The Google Play Team

So there you have it. Hardware issue.

Now we just have to wait patiently for more shipments.

[kenyee]

yep...supposedly a loose solder joint from what I've heard. I just wish they could give a batch or serial# when it started getting fixed. But I'm glad they're finally admitting it. AsusUSA still doesn't acknowledge it's an issue w/ my question on their facebook page :-P

That said, if you have good signal strength or you set your screen to over 50% brightness, you most likely won't notice this.

[1812dave]

People claimed before the first bionic update that headphone output whine had to be a hardware fault. Turns out an OS update totally fixed it. Just saying....

Ashley may be mistaken

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[igjoe]

People claimed before the first bionic update that headphone output whine had to be a hardware fault. Turns out an OS update totally fixed it. Just saying....

Ashley may be mistaken

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Is there a possibility that they're mistaken? Absolutely, but multiple people are getting reports from Google that it's hardware. Customer support normally doesn't say anything if they haven't been directed on what to say with certain issues.

Also, your point that some sort of software update could fix the flicker is still a possibility. For now, it appears Google has admitted it's a hardware issue for those affected and are replacing devices rather than pushing out a patch.

Either way, most of us just want a working device ASAP!

[1812dave]

Of course it may indeed be a hardware issue.

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[igjoe]

I just bought a replacement at a local Walmart last night. I was hoping they might have had a different/newer shipment that didn't have the flicker issue... I was wrong

I have a feeling I may have to wait until the end of August or beginning of September.

[igjoe]

Google has the 16gb back in stock as of this morning. I put in an order right away and I hope to have it sometime this week. I'll report back whether or not I get another flickering device.

[natehoy]

Plus, I only seem to notice a flicker when I'm reading in my room at night so the auto-brightness theories may be correct.

I have the same thing on mine, and I think you are right. I leave mine on automatic brightness and there are times when it seems to adjust the brightness up and down repeatedly for a few seconds, almost like it's "seeking" for the ideal brightness level.

My phone and my wife's phone both do the same thing, as do any electronics I've ever encountered with an automatic brightness setting. My nightlight does it in reverse, because it's in a corner and responds to its own reflected light ("hey, it's dark, I need to brighten up! Wait! It just got bright after I brightened up! Time to dim down! Hey, it's dark!.... (repeat 60 times a second)")

EDIT: OF course, I don't think this is the "flicker" that most people on this thread are returning devices for. Actual artifacting on the screen (seeing lines or static or images that should not be there) may be a video driver problem (fixable in software) or a video card problem (fixable only with new hardware).

[pete_lockwood]

Got my replacement. Still flickers. Guess they haven't solved it yet.

[HardFire]

For those with the black line issue but no whole screen flicker:

So, I have done some troubleshooting with my wife's and I's 7's. My device was having the random black line flash on and then off for a fraction of a second (no whole screen flashes) while hers was not. After making sure the settings where the same and doing some experimentation I found that if I turned off the auto-rotate it went away, and when I turned it on on my wife's device she started to see the line appear. So at least for this issue it sounds like a software issue. Hope that helps someone.

[thedudeduck]

I had that too! But it only lasted for a few moments and stopped. I'm not sure what the cause is though.

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[espio]

I've been having the screen flicker issue on my brand new 32gb Nexus 7 (purchased locally last Friday). I pulled a free version of an app from my phone called Lux Auto Brightness and installed it on my Nexus 7 and it worked like a charm to keep my screen from flickering (and can even dim it further than the default settings). There is a paid version of the app with more features and the play store says the free version is not compatible with the Nexus 7 but it seems to work fine so far.

[carracerz14]

Haven't seen it own my last two devices. My first had it badly. Second one I didn't use long enough to see.

Sent from my RAZR MAXXIMUS

[balus3u]

After the 4.2 update , I see the flickering in a noticeable amount and mostly at low brightness or auto brightness setting but never noticed it when I set the brightness to 30 or high

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