Actually, my M1 never uses the 16gb (8 at most), even though I have several IDEs running (also browser of course). I'm not sure what generate such memory consumption for some users.
Running IDEA, a Java backend, a nodejs frontend, a secondary nodejs frontend and a browser with dev tools open has caused my computer to hit 32GiB of RAM usage easily. I didn't decide the tech stack, unfortunately, but this has become a real problem.
Personally I think 8GiB should be more than enough for any normal end user though the Electronification is taking a real toll these days. However, this is the M2 Pro, labeled for professionals, and professionals generally need more resources. Capping the machine at 32GiB means I can't even comfortably run my current stack without swapping. I can only imagine what this will do do professional video/photo editing.
my M1 with 64GB is pushed to its limits from time to time. Running a couple of vms and database servers for local development takes up a lot of memory.
Like always, it depends on your usecase. For some 4GB will be enough, for some it wont.
Personally I think 8GiB should be more than enough for any normal end user though the Electronification is taking a real toll these days. However, this is the M2 Pro, labeled for professionals, and professionals generally need more resources. Capping the machine at 32GiB means I can't even comfortably run my current stack without swapping. I can only imagine what this will do do professional video/photo editing.