I'm wondering if I have solder pads of a pcb pre-tinned by a manufacturer If I could then use that solder to solder the chip to the board. Meaning – I would then do solder reflow but I won't have to deal with solder paste.
Thanks
To make a good solder joint you need either tin on both sides and flux between as you heat to melting point, or paste which has both the tin alloy and the flux to make a good joint.
IMO pre-tinned pads are only slightly helpful if you solder by hand, but after you get used to it, it won't make a difference.