I'm sure this has been asked ad-nauseum - but as I'm just getting started in the world I haven't seen any recent comments. If there's some existing threads I should read please point me at them.
I know the question of which microcontroller to use is to open-ended - the requirements need to be specified and from that it's easier to narrow things down. So let's pick an arbitrary controller that multiple vendors have some variation of - for argument's sake I'll say a Cortex-M33. Since just about all the "big names" have at least one if not 10 versions of this - is there something about the manufacturer(s) that make them stand out? All else being equal - how do I pick from a list like Silicon Labs, Renesas, ST, NXP, TI, etc. if there's no special sauce for a given chip? Are any of these more/less reliable, supportive, available when compared with others? Or do I just pick whichever one is either cheapest, more available, or has a friendlier sales rep?
I know the question of which microcontroller to use is to open-ended - the requirements need to be specified and from that it's easier to narrow things down. So let's pick an arbitrary controller that multiple vendors have some variation of - for argument's sake I'll say a Cortex-M33. Since just about all the "big names" have at least one if not 10 versions of this - is there something about the manufacturer(s) that make them stand out? All else being equal - how do I pick from a list like Silicon Labs, Renesas, ST, NXP, TI, etc. if there's no special sauce for a given chip? Are any of these more/less reliable, supportive, available when compared with others? Or do I just pick whichever one is either cheapest, more available, or has a friendlier sales rep?