Shorter barrel = less weight. normal grip = more control.
Its not rocket science.
This reeks of post hoc justification, I'm calling bullshit. There is no way in hell a G19X or G45 for example is even noticeably lighter than the G17 with which they share grip length, and there's no way a G26X will be appreciably lighter than the G19 with which it shares a frame. Sure a 43X is lighter than a 19, it only holds 10rd and is narrower. Also, you do not need a full size or even compact grip to have good control of a 9mm. Subcompacts in the G26 to Hellcat range of size are perfectly shootable, and G19 grip size does not need to be increased to G17 grip size under any circumstance, G19s are very controllable and allow a full grip.
It's a competition thing that people misunderstood as being good for carry.
Long grip - easier to hold, especially with the support hand.
Short barrel (actually short slide) - less reciprocating mass, faster cycling.
The main benefits of long slides, velocity and sight radius, are irrelevant for optics divisions.
You're 100% correct that when concealing, the limiting factor is grip length, not barrel length.
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Now
this makes some sense. Gunsoomers see something in competitions and gearqueer their way into carrying guns configured a certain way without understanding the actual reasoning behind it, then justify it with nonsense like "it's lighter". Actually now I've decided to look it up after typing all of the above.
G19X (taller G19) - 24.83oz
G45 (shorter barrel G17?) - 24.98oz
G17 - 24.87oz
G19 - 23.63oz
No, it's not lighter. Now a G43X is lighter but that's because it's narrower and holds fewer rounds than a G19. What I'd like to see is the G43 given 10+1 capacity like the dozen other subcompacts that size which hold 10 rounds. G26s are great guns, but they are noticeably thicker than today's micro 9s and that does impact carry potential more than the extra .3-.4" of barrel length a G26 has.