A good development environment is the first step to better productivity, and Python programming is no exception. While a beginner might be better equipped with a minimal, unintegrated environment such as Python IDLE (which comes with any Python distribution), Notepad++, Emacs, or Vim, once you have become sufficiently familiar with Python, you will undoubtedly benefit from the design and support of a good IDE.
First, let's define some terms. In the context of development environments (meaning how a programmer writes their code and develops projects), an editor typically indicates a simple, minimal text editor without any additional highlighting or aligning functionalities; on the other hand, an IDE is special software that provides such features. An intuitive comparison that I'd like to make is when we draw a parallel between programming and word processing. An editor would be a simple notepad, while an IDE would be Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or similar multi-function word processors. An IDE can have various features integrated, including syntax highlighting, automatic indention, debugging tools, and so on.
As mentioned previously, the development of some programming languages does rely heavily on the use of an IDE. This is especially true for languages where there is a considerable amount of what is generally known as boilerplate code, which is necessary for the whole program itself but does not add further logic to the program instructions. Boilerplate code is typically part of the syntax of the given programming language and is always present, regardless of what the program is designed to do.
It is in these boilerplate-code-heavy programming languages that an IDE becomes convenient, or even essential. IDEs help generate boilerplate code and appropriately place it around the core instructions that the programmer wrote, saving their time and helping them focus on the development process. This is, however, not the case for Python, a language that requires minimal boilerplate code and focuses on the actual logic of the program. In other words, once you have finished the general instructions of your Python program, it is most likely ready to be executed by a Python interpreter.
How, then, can a Python developer benefit from using an IDE? Writing Python code can be done in a sufficient way using a simple text editor, but there are other aspects of Python aside from writing code such as testing/debugging, version control, the management of environments and packages, and so on that can be boiler-plate-heavy and not quite straightforward. It is during these somewhat grinding tasks that a Python IDE can shine by streamlining them and helping developers focus on the development process.
With that said, it is not always recommended for a Python developer to use an IDE in their projects. Some have argued that relying on an IDE too much can make programmers forget, or altogether prevent them from learning, the core principles and syntax of a given programming language. Say you are asked to write a class in Python with various functionalities and methods. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of an IDE since you can import the general structure of a skeleton Python class with a single command in PyCharm (or in other IDEs). The only part left is to edit the inserted code with custom instructions according to our purposes. Throughout this process, the programmer does not need to remember, or even learn in the first place, the structure of a Python class and the syntax involved.
As such, there is a certain degree of trade-off being made when choosing to use an IDE to program, even in Python. However, you cannot argue with the fact that using a good IDE can truly improve your programming productivity, and if it enhances yours, you have every reason to use one. In general, a good strategy is to start off using a simple editor to familiarize yourself with the language and its core syntax structure. Once a good understanding of the language has been gained, you can then explore advanced functionalities that an IDE provides to see if they will be able to make you more productive. Being familiar with a text editor can also help you learn how to use an IDE faster, so that is more reason to employ this strategy.