X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Brand-new Razr phones sold on Amazon arrived pre-opened and folded shut

Customers cried foul after someone pre-opened their new phones to fold them shut. Now Motorola says it's packaging them folded shut to begin with.

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Expertise Smart home technology and wireless connectivity Credentials
  • 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Ry Crist
2 min read
razr
CNET

Anyone who bought a new, foldable Motorola Razr with 5G from Amazon might've encountered a surprise on unboxing it. Namely, someone might've gotten there first.

81zusuyk6kl-ac-sl1500

The new Motorla Razr ships in a special box that's meant to show off the unfolded screen.

Amazon

"NOTE: originally, Razr was meant to be shipped in the unfolded position," reads a now-removed note at the top of the unlocked phone's Amazon listing (and a hat-tip to our friends at The Verge for spotting it). "However, in order to better protect the display we have folded your Razr -- it's safer, but may not look as elegant as we hoped. 

"We apologize if you see fingerprints on your device, but we assure you your Razr is brand new," the note concluded.

The new Razr is built from aluminum and Gorilla Glass 5, and can withstand being folded 200,000 times, Motorola tells us. Initially, Motorola shipped the phone in a special box designed to double as a speaker base and show off the unfolded OLED screen, as you can see here in this CNET unboxing video

When some customers recently bought the phone on Amazon and received a preopened box with a folded-shut phone, they weren't happy about it.

"There was not protector film on the inner screen, the protector film on the outer screen was [offset] really bad and the device came folded inside its packaging," reads one review. "Last but not least, when inspecting the lid of the box I could notice that someone did some hand cutting inside in order to make the lid fit with the phone folded..."

Motorola tells CNET that it's now packaging the phones in a folded position from the start. It's unclear when it made the change to its packaging process, or why.

"Motorola is packaging the new Razr in its closed form at the factory level, so devices are not being reopened by Amazon," a Motorola spokesperson says. "Once the device leaves our facilities it is not reopened."

Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: The best phones of 2020