Link-370 killer · every candidate SoC evaluated, datasheets embedded, dev boards ranked, vendor emails ready to send.
Last updated: · maintained by Chui 🐆
Front-runner: Realtek RTL8773DO — one of only two chips Realtek itself nominates for dongles, 4.9×6 mm, 8–16 MB flash, BT 6.0, and the only Realtek BT-audio part with a buyable dev board today ($136.80, MOQ 1). Same-die fallback: RTL8763EWS/EWM — byte-identical firmware to the original EAU pick, so zero software rework, but 6×8 mm and no confirmed sales channel yet.
The original pick (RTL8763EAU) is effectively dead in the market — frozen datasheet, zero stock anywhere, delisted EVBs — and the Telink backup evaporated on inspection (TLSR9518 is evaluation-only silicon whose classic-BT and LE-Audio features live in two SDKs that cannot be combined).
The pattern that matters: three "buyable" leads in a row died on contact. BT audio silicon is a design-win channel business, not a catalogue business. Next move is vendor conversations, not more searching — the emails tab has ready-to-send drafts for all seven.
Click any chip to expand full specs, verdict and sources. Filter by what matters:
All documents hosted locally — they stay available even if vendors pull them. Click to load in the viewer; use "Open ↗" on mobile.
What forums, GitHub issues and teardowns say about actually building on these chips.
"Will it actually work?" — scored against every PRD item, with the Bluetooth-headset compatibility question worked era by era. Evidence tags: [SDK] read in Realtek's public source · [RTK] Realtek product pages · [SPEC] Bluetooth spec · [EMP] must be bench-tested.
Simple commercial asks: availability, pricing, SDK access, and the few technical questions only a vendor can answer. Copy, tweak the greeting if you like, send.