I bought a 16" Pro thinking I would need it and realized I never do anything other than simple photo/video editing, occasional VM usage and browsing the internet. Returned it and used the $1000~ savings to book a vacation to the Caribbean instead.
I had fallen for the future proof fallacy when even than, the savings could have been used to buy another new MacBook Air in 3-4 years which would be newer than whatever ‘future proofing’ I can do now. I would rather buy a new and updated MacBook Air every 4 years with the savings than budget for a Pro model every 7-9 years.
I noticed no difference between using the Pro and Air at all, at least not worth $1000. This sub convinced me that the Air is what 99% of the population would need and is very powerful as is!
I think the main thing is that you don’t need the RAM and the screen. Those MacBooks are for people who run serious video editing setups (as you admitted to realizing) and who would see a benefit from color correction on the display with HDR content. I assume you do none of this, so good on you for saving the money and enjoying it in a way that makes you feel better.