Screen/Backlight slightly darker at the bottom edge

[Rich]

I got my Surface Pro 3 earlier this week and love it so far. The only concern is that the backlight may be faulty, so I was checking if anyone else has the same issue.

The bottom edge (when the Surface is in landscape mode) seems dimmer than the rest of the screen. Only about 5mm until the screen is a constant brightness. It gives the bottom edge of the screen a slight gradient effect.

Here's a quick (exaggerated) mockup of what I'm trying to describe...

You only really notice when the screen has a predominantly solid colour (especially white) background, like a OneNote page or a webpage with a white background in fullscreen mode, but it's definitely there.

Does anyone else have this? Is this just a limitation of the backlight/screen technology? I'm going to try check out some Surface 3's in town today to see if they're the same but just wondered if anyone here's noticed it too?

Thanks all,
Rich

 

[raqball]

I'm not seeing this on my SP3..

 

[r0b123]

Have you adjusted your screen brightness? Try going full bright to full dim and see if this fixes it. Shortcut keys are: Fn + Del / Fn + Backspace.

 

[BillJames]

Yes! I have EXACTLY the same issue, I was googling it when I found your comment. I'm going back to the store to check a few show units. It is not very noticeable but heck, a 1400€ piece of kit (with keyboard) should be pretty darn impecable!

 

[olimjj]

I wish I could shed some light on the solution.
SORRY I could not resist.
If it looks and is as pronounced as you describe, I would make an attempt to return/exchange it. It might qualify as a defective unit.

 

[Rich]

Hi Bill.

I ended up just leaving it. 99% of the time I don't notice it anymore. I checked a couple of units in store but it was difficult to tell - they looked like they might have the same 'issue' though. If it ever gets worse I'll kick up a stink but for now, it's really not a problem for me anymore.

 

[offcamber]

I wonder if its just a backlight issue I get uneven lighting on one side of my Dell XPS. Apparently its just the nature of the screen on that unit

 

[VRAM81]

My screen is exactly the same. I went to two different retailers that stock the SP3 in the UK and took a look at their display models - they were all exactly the same, a very faint dark bar at the bottom of the screen, only really visible on an all white or all grey background. I guess its one of the quirks of this kind of IPS panel. Doesn't really bother me...

 

[BillJames]

Thanks for your response Rich, & olimjj (brilliant. I went back to two stores & due to ambient lighting it was difficult to see but in both stores the show unit had the slight dark gradient just noticeable when at low brightness (say <50%). Seeming to be a common issue, I too think I'll just learn to ignore it & hopefully it won't get worse with time. Blooming annoying though for a piece of kit given the price we've all paid. My wife's iPad air's screen is perfect and my various other android IPS stuff too! Ironic & unfair I'd say! ;-)