That's a fair point, and perhaps my memory isn't very sharp given that I mostly shoot 9 these days. Trying to tow that fine line of helpful and not talking out of my rear end. More art than science on the best day.
I don't have mine in anything especially fancy, just a Desantis Thumb Break Scabbard (my usual standard OWB holster, not fancy but I've been quite happy with them for the price) but I did just get some Mitch Rosen and Don Hume holsters for my G17 and Smith & Wesson 1911 and there really is something special about nice leather. I do wish the PX4 had more aggressive grips but that's about it. The rotating barrel really takes the "vertical" out of the recoil stroke in a very nice way.
I've been curious to try the VP40, my VP9 was fun and a really accurate shooter. If I had my druthers every gun on the market would have the "ears" the VP has on the rear slide serrations.
Sadly, what you note has been Beretta's downfall for ages. I had a 96A1 briefly (gift for my dad to replace his duty 96G), I have a Cougar (8000 and 8040) and with the PX4, adding in consideration of the APX, you sadly have nailed Beretta's downfall in recent decades, to wit: really good designs that take way too long to make it to prime time and by the time they do they're 5th or 6th in line. You're probably right the PX4 doesn't offer much you don't have. I do feel lucky it was my first gun though. In a world of Taurus and XDs I'm glad my first shooter was bet-the-farm reliable.
I grew up with my dad telling me stories about how his agency's crappy 115-grain 9mm was next to useless against auto glass. They went to .40 and saw it smash the windshields their old round struggled so hard with and retain terminal performance afterwards. There's no surprise he's such an ardent .40 fan. A few years back I gifted him a 96A1 with his old round, 165-grain Federal Hydra-Shoks. Better platforms and rounds these days? Absolutely, but he started off on patrol with a .45 Long Colt revolver so I figure he's earned the right to shoot what he likes.
Besides, of the many criticisms of .40, there's not a lot of people saying it doesn't work. Recoil and gun wear aside, put the round on target and it remains a marvelous terminal performer.