Although it has never operated in the field of phone making, this has not stopped Vietnamese Internet security firm Bkav from feeling confident that its maiden would-be handset could beat the renowned iPhone, at least in the way it looks.

The Hanoi-based company, known for its antivirus software of the same name, divulged its production of a smartphone at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, and dubbed the device Bphone.

Vu Thanh Thang, deputy president of software with Bkav, told reporters in the U.S. at that time that the Bphone is “one of the best-looking smartphones in the world,” according to newswire VnExpress.

While the design and tech specs of the handset, as well as its official release date, remain undisclosed, Bkav this week saw continued affirmations that the device will look amazing.

The Facebook page believed to be the official fan page of the Bphone on March 10 posted a photo showing Bkav CEO Nguyen Tu Quang holding two phones in his hands, under a caption that reads “Mr. Quang compares Bphone and iPhone 6 Plus.”

VnExpress cited a source with direct knowledge of the matter as saying that Quang, who founded Bkav in 2001, was speaking at a meeting to set plans for 2015 on March 7, when the photo was taken.

The executive was explaining why the Bphone has a design that is “way more beautiful and stylish than the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus,” according to the source.

The meeting was attended by high-ranking employees of Bkav, most of whom had never seen the Bphone before, according to VnExpress. The attendees were also asked not to take any close-up pictures of the confidential handset.

Bkav has revealed that its Bphone will have a five-inch screen with an aluminum frame, and is powered by a high-class Qualcomm chip.

The device is expected to be released in late March, but Bkav has so far made no comment on the launch ceremony.

The purported statements of Quang on the Bphone, however, have sparked mixed responses from local tech enthusiasts.

“Whether it is beautiful, ugly, or stylish is in the eye of us consumers,” commented a reader named Thu Nguyen Duc on VnExpress.

Another commenter, Hoang Anh, demanded more than just good looks from a smartphone.

“What about its quality, performance, battery duration, and price?” he wrote.

“There are numerous factors to count but you only talk about its beauty.”

Hoang Anh also criticized the way Bkav praised its product on its own, saying it is “a one-sided view.”

“I don’t think it’s good to compare your product with that of a renowned manufacturer,” Bui Luan commented on the Bphone Facebook page.

Still, there are many others who are excited about a Vietnamese-made smartphone and expressed their hope that the Bphone will be as good as advertised.

But for members on tinhte.vn, a Vietnamese forum for hi-tech aficionados, whether Bkav can really make a smartphone remains debatable.

“Even if Bkav is capable of making the motherboard and several spare parts for the device, developing a smartphone remains a long road,” a member nicknamed kangjin_mobile commented on tinhte.vn.

“In the event that Bkav only creates the design and mostly uses parts manufactured in China, its product may not be much different from those of other Vietnamese firms such as Q-Mobile and HKPhone.”

Q-Mobile and HKPhone present their handsets as made-in-Vietnam products, whereas they are in fact using Chinese-made parts.

This is not the first time Bkav has compared itself with other tech giants.

In late 2014, one of its executives told the media that Bkav is “five to ten years ahead of Microsoft or Samsung” in the “smart home” sector.

Smart home is the term commonly used to define a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, and other electric devices which are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely.

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