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220-1201 Practice Question: That their Android tablet's screen flickers when…

A user reports that their Android tablet's screen flickers when using a specific video streaming app, but the screen is stable in other apps and on the home screen. What hardware component is most likely at fault?

⚠ Common exam trap

The 220-1201 exam often tests the distinction between hardware and software faults by isolating the symptom to a single application, tempting candidates to incorrectly attribute the issue to a failing display panel or GPU when the problem is actually a software bug or codec incompatibility.

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

The video streaming app has a software bug or codec issue.

The screen flickers only within a specific video streaming app, while the home screen and other apps remain stable. This strongly indicates the issue is isolated to software, specifically a bug or codec incompatibility within that app, rather than a hardware failure affecting the entire display or GPU.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • The tablet's display panel is failing.

    Why it's wrong here

    A failing display panel would typically exhibit symptoms across the entire screen, affecting the operating system interface, all applications, and even the boot-up sequence. This hardware malfunction would cause consistent flickering, discoloration, or dead pixels regardless of the content being displayed, indicating a physical defect in the screen assembly itself rather than an application-specific rendering issue.

  • The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is overheating.

    Why it's wrong here

    GPU overheating would lead to system-wide graphical anomalies, performance throttling, or even unexpected shutdowns, especially during any graphics-intensive operations. If the GPU were the root cause, the flickering would likely extend beyond a single streaming app, impacting other graphically demanding applications, the home screen animations, or even causing system instability, rather than being isolated to one specific application.

  • The video streaming app has a software bug or codec issue.

    Why this is correct

    When screen flickering is exclusively observed within a single application, particularly a video streaming app, it strongly points to a software-related problem specific to that application. This could stem from an unoptimized rendering engine, an incompatibility with the device's current operating system version or graphics drivers, or issues with decoding specific video codecs used by the streaming service. Troubleshooting would involve clearing the app's cache, reinstalling it, or checking for app updates.

  • The tablet's battery is swollen and pressing on the display.

    Why it's wrong here

    A swollen battery would exert physical pressure on the internal components, including the display panel, leading to visible physical distortion, light bleed, or permanent damage like dead spots or cracks on the screen. This type of physical damage would be constant and affect the entire display area, irrespective of which application is running, and would not manifest as intermittent flickering confined to a single app.

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JA

Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.