Microcontroller choice

[JoelRietz]

Hello, I have some questions regarding what MCUs to choose. I have a project which requires some controlling of external LEDs, Bluetooth communication as well as some extra external sensors to be connected to collect some data from the surroundings. I would preferably not want to design a PCB with a SOC on, would just want to buy a product from here and use directly by soldering on and plugging on components. Would the nrf52840 dongle suffice for this use case or do you guys recommend any other solution?

BR, Joel

[haakonsh]

Is this a product you intend to sell on the market or just a personal project? 

Anyways you should get at least one dev kit. The dongle is fine, the range is not that great since the ground plane is so small, but it's good enough in many applications. Alternatively, you can try the Adafruit Feather Bluefruit and its suite of development tools, its great for one-off projects. 

[JoelRietz]

The intention is to sell. The range for the bluetooth doesn't need to be greater than 3-4m so I think that would suffice?

[haakonsh]

Oh, that changes things. Do you intend to go through radio certification or do you need a pre-certified module? 
If the latter, take a look at https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/3rd-Party/3rd-party-modules.