Physical size
Depending on the design, the MCU's size can be an important factor. If you're developing a wearable or portable device, size is likely to be at the top of your list. Sometimes, pre-packaged MCUs are too large and the designers are required to resort to chip on board (where the MCU silicon die is directly bonded to the printed circuit board (PCB), instead of being placed in a separate plastic package). On the other hand, large pieces of rack-mounted equipment tend to have more than enough space for any size MCU that is suitable to do the job.
A note to those of you who are interested in designing your own hardware—the packaging type will play a role in the PCB complexity as well as the ease of assembly (especially at the prototyping ...
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