Although I haven't heard of them before, I did see someone mention them while searching on TikTok...
According to the explanation provided by that blogger, it seems like we need to determine whether VFOs are independent or integrated with other components on a single chip.
However, looking at a previous flagship radio from a major manufacturer, it used the AK1574 from Asahi Kasei, which integrated a phase-locked loop and A-to-D converter. According to this blogger, using only analog FM in this way would essentially be considered a "chip mainboard."

As for whether the "traditional motherboard" referred to by this blogger actually outperforms the latest flagship model from that particular manufacturer, that's a matter of personal opinion.