Hey! I'm also a software developer and have kind of a similar use case (change Java for Python). I got the i5 8GB 256. Couldn't be happier. In Spain i3 to i5 is just 50€ so was a no brainer upgrade. However 8 to 16GB is +250€ and the way MacOS manages ram is surprisingly efficient, so with this use case I'm NEVER running out of ram and seems keeping the money has been a good choice. Anyway probably the i3 8gb will be good enough, just look at the user reviews thread.
I was looking for a machine that can be an extension of me on day to day life. To move around, carry it and be able to work on it anywhere without hassle. So apart from a powerful enough machine, big plus to me was build quality, weight, battery, display, a good keyboard, Mac OS, best in class trackpad, good customer service if anything happens, nice speakers, quiet when working (it is! with our use case that doesn't involve 3 4k VP9 videos on the background hah) touch ID, iPhone integration and an overall fast feeling when working with the machine. It excels in all these parameters.
Maybe some dell can give you similar results... To me, usability features that don't come as numbers in the tech specs have been paying off way more than CPU GHz. Things as odd as a robust machine build with aluminum, big enough glass trackpad, a backlit keyboard back in the day, retina display nowadays, how the speakers are made to get that clean sound, how the hardware options are selected to give you the nice balance between performance-battery etc, all that give you a premium machine that will last for years and will give you that feeling of 'damn what a piece of art' every time you open it and start being productive.
It's been eye opening how I've been able to work with a MBP 2010 until last month (when I broke the display) and see the face of my PC colleagues when I told them it was a 10 year old machine (with a C2D!). It aged so well and I'm looking for similar results with this MBA
