Surface Laptop 7th Edition (ARM based) Graphics Error (Color shift)

Question

Surface Laptop 7th Edition (ARM based) Graphics Error (Color shift)

Arne Stoffregen 10

I have a very curious and unfortunately serious error in the video driver, I suppose.

Please watch the short video here:

https://1drv.ms/v/c/63d880f32b14e0b1/IQC94lB5AdktS6Tda7hpnTPMAQA89IQvAuJddf0M8xZpwfE?e=0go7Fs

This is a Surface Laptop 7th Edition (ARM based) and the video display is not working in stand-alone mode.

It then exhibits a strange color shift, and text and graphics are barely legible.

The system is on the newest updates both on Windows Update and graphics driver (Qualcomm(R) Adreno(TM) X1-85 GPU, Date 28.02.2026, Version 31.0.148.0)

The display hardware cannot be faulty because when I switch from the externally (Mini-DP) connected monitor back to the built-in display the colors are correct. (see video)

When I switch the device off and immediately on again, after 0,5 seconds the colors are shifted.

A reboot does not change anything, and all components are up to date.

Can you please help me?

PS:

Attached is this page on the Laptop display when it shifts the colors

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2 Antworten

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Answer 1

Steve Z 5

I have this problem today for the second time. First time in 2025 i restored factory settings, absolutly inacceptable!
Today, second time, maybe related to driver update of 16th may. It occurse with the usage of dock, mine is 1st gen.
I switched back to the privous driver of the Adreno GPU, restarted. Seems to work so far. Any other options didn't work.
No good job of microsoft regarding to this problem which occurs quite often.

WK123456 11,465 Zuverlässigkeitspunkte

2026-05-18T16:15:28.6233333+00:00

No good job of microsoft regarding to this problem which occurs quite often.

It is not Microsoft, but Qualcomm that provides the drivers for the Adreno GPU. Microsoft just distributes them to Surface devices via Windows Update. At least reverting to an older driver helped you.

Answer 2

WK123456 11,465

Es dürfte sich um ein Problem des Treibers der Grafikkarte handeln. Bitte teste, ob die Installation eines älteren Grafiktreibers das Problem behebt. Öffne dazu den Geräte-Manager und dort die Zeile Grafikkarten. Doppelklicke auf die Adreno GPU. Im neuen Eigenschaftsfenster wechsele zum Reiter "Treiber". Wähle dort nun "Treiber aktualisieren > Auf meinem Computer nach Treibern suchen > Aus einer Liste verfügbarer Treiber auf meinem Computer auswählen". Es wird dir nun eine Liste der auf dem Surface verfügbaren Treiber für die Adreno GPU angezeigt. Werden mehrere Treiber angezeigt, wähle einen älteren Treiber zu Installation aus, installiere ihn und teste, ob. der Effekt weiterhin auftritt.

Wird dir nur ein Treiber angeboten oder hat die Installation eines älteren Treibers das Problem nicht behoben, deinstalliere den Treiber im Geräte-Manager einschließlich der Treibersoftware. Fahre das Surface dann herunter und starte es neu. Nun installiert Windows erneut einen aktuellen Treiber für die Grafikkarte. Wenn der Effekt weiterhin auftritt, melde dich bitte wieder hier.

Ergänzung: Bitte überprüfe zusätzlich, ob auf dem Surface die HDR-Option aktiviert ist (Einstellungen > System > Bildschirm > HDR). Falls ja, deaktiviere sie und teste, ob der Effekt beim Umschalten weiterhin auftritt.

Arne Stoffregen 10 Zuverlässigkeitspunkte

2026-04-14T10:00:39.4166667+00:00

Thank you vey much for your reply!

The HDR option is switched off.

I installed an older driver with no improvement.

I also removed the device in the device manager. With the generic graphic adapter the screen immediately looked normal. After the reboot Windows chose the newest driver and the error reappeared.

Your reply looks like the attached photo on the internal screen :-(

I am at a loss at the moment. I know that the screen is physically working, so sending it in will not make sense. It has worked perfectly for about a year and this error only appeared after I installed an external monitor (connected using DisplayPort via a Surface Dock 2).

Is there anything in the BIOS maybe?
I am tempted to reset to factory settings, but fear that I will end up in the current situation again.

Do you have any ideas?

Thanks again!!
WK123456 11,465 Zuverlässigkeitspunkte

2026-04-14T13:26:15.3733333+00:00
No. Unfortunately, I only have general suggestions:

Is the Surface Dock's firmware up to date? You can check this via the Surface app and, if necessary, download and install an update for the dock via the app.

Does the effect also occur if you connect the external monitor directly to an USB-C port on the Surface?

Is the external monitor connected to the Surface Dock via an USB-C to Mini DisplayPort cable? Is it possible to connect the external monitor to the Surface Dock using a USB-C-cable, or could you use a different USB-C to Mini DisplayPort-cable?

Perform a soft reset of the Surface (dock connected with the laptop, external monitor connected with the dock). Press the power button on the Surface while it's powered on. Keep the power button pressed until the Windows logo and the loading circle appear again. Ignore the prompts that will appear during the reset.

In an older post, the issue you described could only be resolved by restoring the Surface to its factory settings using a recovery USB drive. If necessary, create a recovery USB drive. Details you will find in the second video here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/drivers-firmware/reset-or-recover-your-surface Here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface-recovery-imageyou can download the appropriate image.

Within the UEFI there are no options to manage the Adreno GPU.
Arne Stoffregen 10 Zuverlässigkeitspunkte

2026-04-15T16:55:06.0066667+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to reply and your thoughts!

Yes, the effect is the same even without any Surface Dock and the monitor directly connected via USB-C.

In any case, the external monitor only helped to show me that the internal display works. With no external display the error is always present, since I cannot force the system to change anything in the display settings.

I will wait for the next Windows Insider build, but in this set-up I can not work without the external monitor, which makes this beautiful device much less useful :-(

I will then probably reset the entire system, but this is only a last resort and I fear all the work for nothing.

I reported this also via the Windows Feedback app but I do not have high hopes that anyone at Microsoft reacts here...
WK123456 11,465 Zuverlässigkeitspunkte

2026-04-15T19:49:37.52+00:00

With no external display the error is always present ...

...then I'd guess it's a hardware defect in the Adreno GPU - especially after you've installed different driver versions.. If your device is still under warranty, you should better have it repaired or replaced by Microsoft.

... since I cannot force the system to change anything in the display settings.

What's preventing you from changing the display's settings?

I will wait for the next Windows Insider build

If you're really running an Insider Preview version of Windows 11 on ARM, it might also be the cause of the graphics problem. Leaving the Insider Program by installing the recovery image might fix the issue.

Gibt es einen besonderen Grund, weshalb du im deutschsprachigen Forum Englisch verwendest?