Apple replaced my iPhone, but did I get a new one or a refurbished?

Question

I was having problems with my iPhone battery, it was just barely giving me 22 hrs of standby time and about 4 hours of use before the battery was totally depleted. In other words I had to recharge it every night for about 5-6 hours in order to be able to use it during the day.
I took it to the Apple store and a genius told me that I was getting a great battery life and that I was not gonna get any better. After I argued that I was not happy, and that it was not even close to what Apple has listed on the iPhone specifications, the genius got mad and asked me what I wanted him to do? So I told him that I wanted my phone to be replaced. He went to the back and about 10 mins later he came back out with an open box, and what appeared to be a new iPhone with the original clear protection on the screen. I asked him if that phone was refurbished and he denied it but I have my doubts.
How do I know if I really got a new iPhone and not a returned phone from a prior customer?
BTW I was in the Apple store in Cincinnati for about 20 mins and 3 other people were returning their iPhones

Answer 1

I returned mine because of a stuck pixel and the mac genius pulled my new model from behind the counter right in front of me. It was unopened. Brand spankin' new. I can't say for sure if your replacement is new, refurbished or someone else's return, but he should not have opened the box in the back of the store. The genius that helped me merely moved the plastic away from the sim card slot in order to replace the card. He let me unwrap the rest. You should have asked for a manager.
I would try the phone out for a few days and keep a sharp eye out for defects. But if all seems good just keep it and enjoy!