Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1: Two-minute review
It might not come from a household name, but the Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 aims to win gamers over with its high-end spec and modest price tag.
However, it won’t be winning any design awards. Its nondescript appearance, with its all-black finish and lack of accoutrements, condemns it to anonymity — and this in a market that has more than its fair share of tired designs.
However, the Major 16 X1 is surprisingly sleek for a 16-inch laptop. Most sides are perfectly flat, while the lid is impressively thin and the rear bulge impressively restrained. Even the best gaming laptop designs can be bulkier than this.
The base, though, is quite thick and heavy, which severely hampers the portability of the Major 16 X1. On the upside, it does feel quite solid and durable, with little flex to any of the panels.
There are plenty of ports on the Major 16 X1, including an SD card reader and a Mini DisplayPort interface, which are rare sights on gaming laptops. The distribution of all ports is fairly equitable across both sides and the rear, and they’re sensibly ordered.
Medion’s Control Center software is hidden away, but it proved to be a useful utility tool, allowing me to quickly and easily adjust performance modes and other basic system settings. It ran smoothly, and I experienced no issues with it during the course of my testing.
The performance of the Major 16 X1 is pretty good, as you would expect given its promising spec. You’ll get the sought–after 60fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at the medium Ray Tracing setting if you enable DLSS upscaling — and much higher if you enable Frame Generation on top.
It achieves this without breaking much of a sweat, either; strangely, the small space between the touchpad and space bar experienced the highest surface temperature, and even this section was still comfortable to touch. Also, while fan noise is certainly apparent, I didn’t find it to be distractingly loud.
The display equipped in the Major 16 X1 is excellent, largely thanks to its high pixel count, imbuing images with superb clarity. Colours are rendered vibrantly, too, and while reflections can be seen, I found there’s enough brightness on tap to prevent them from negatively impacting the gaming experience.
The keys are light and snappy, although they’re not as damped as others in this sector. Their spacing is generous, though, which makes typing comfortable, and it is all the more commendable given that the Major 16 X1 features a number pad.
More surprising is the touchpad: it’s incredibly smooth, which makes it easy to use. What’s more, its small size means it rarely gets in the way when using the keyboard. However, this also makes it less effective for navigation.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the Major 16 X1, though, is its battery life. In both the PCMark benchmark and our movie playback test, it posted poor results. Granted, gaming laptops aren’t known for their endurance, but the Major 16 X1 ranks among the worst of them.
There’s no question that at £1,999, the Major 16 X1 is expensive. However, when you consider its powerful spec, it offers better value than many of its nearest rivals. It might lack the panache of models from Razer and Lenovo et al, but the no-frills approach on the design front means the Major 16 X1 can provide an excellent gaming experience at a relatively modest price.
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 review: Price & Availability
- ÂŁ1,999.99 (about $2,685 / AU$4,050)
- Available in the UK
- Good price for the spec
The Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 costs ÂŁ1,999.99 (about $2,685 / AU$4,050) and is available now in the UK. For this, you get an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
Considering its impressive specs, the Major 16 X1 is a well-priced gaming laptop. There are plenty of machines from bigger names that offer less yet ask for more. It may not have the same cache as such rivals, but the Major 16 X1 isn’t far behind in terms of overall quality.
If you want to save even more money without gaming performance taking a nosedive, there are plenty of alternatives to the Major 16 X1 that fit the bill. Among them are another Erazer model, the Deputy 15 P1, and the PC Specialist Defiance II 16. However, the big advantage the Major 16 X1 has over these two is its super-sharp 2560 x 1600 resolution, which eclipses the displays of the aforementioned by a considerable margin.
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 review: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 Config |
|
Price |
ÂŁ1,999.99 (about $2,685 / AU$4,050) |
|
CPU |
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, 2.7GHz) |
|
GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 12GB |
|
RAM |
32GB DDR5 |
|
Storage |
2TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
|
Display |
16-inch 2560×1600 (WQXGA), 240Hz |
|
Ports and Connectivity |
1x HDMI, 1x combo audio, 1x RJ-45, 1x SD Card Reader, 3x USB-A 3.2, 2x USB-C (1x 4.0 PD / DP) |
|
Battery |
99Wh |
|
Dimensions |
14 x 9.6 x 0.9in (357 x 245 x 22.7mm) |
|
Weight |
2.42kg |
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 review: Design
- Anonymous looks
- Surprisingly sleek
- Quite heavy
As with many gaming laptops, the Major 16 X1 isn’t likely to be embraced for its looks. The design is rather plain, lacking any fanfare save for the RGB backlighting of the keyboard. The totally black finish hardly helps matters.
That said, there’s a surprising sleekness to the Major 16 X1, at least by gaming laptop standards. There aren’t any superfluous juts or angles on the unit, helping it maintain a minimal form. Even the rear ventilation section protrudes only by a small amount.
There’s a noticeable overhang at the top of the lid, but since this helps with opening, I can forgive it. What’s more, the lid is impressively thin, and while it’s perhaps less stable than others in this sector, it didn’t wobble while I used the Major 16 X1.
However, the thick and heavy base makes the Major 16 X1 impractical for ferrying around too much. The rubberised bar underneath only compounds the issue, as it’s considerably thicker than those on other gaming laptops. At least the weight contributes to the solid feel of the device, although there are rivals with stronger constructions.
There are a good number of physical connectivity options on the Major 16 X1. On the left is an RJ-45 port and a combo audio jack, both of which are sensibly positioned: the former furthest away from the user and the latter closest to them. In between these are two USB ports: one Type-A and one Type-C.
On the right are two more USB-A ports, along with an SD card reader, which isn’t a common sight on gaming laptops. Rarer still is the Mini DisplayPort, found on the rear of the Major 16 X1. Here you’ll also find the power jack, an HDMI port, and another USB-C port.
It doesn’t make itself readily apparent, but the Major 16 X1 comes preinstalled with utility software called Control Center. This is a basic but effective app, making it easy to select performance modes and adjust other system settings, such as toggling the lock for the Function key (although it’s a shame there’s no keyboard shortcut for this). Control Center is quick to load and run, and I didn’t experience any bugs or glitches during my time with it.
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 review: Performance
- Strong gaming performance
- Brilliantly sharp display
- Relatively cool and quiet
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 Benchmarks
These are the benchmark results for Medion Erazer Major 16 X1:
Geekbench 6 (Multi Core): 19,356; (Single Core): 3,084
Cinebench R23 (Multi Core): 33,928
Cinebench R24 (Multi Core): 1,941; (Single Core): 136
Crossmark Overall: 2,203
3DMark
Night Raid: 73,858; Fire Strike: 36,055; Steel Nomad: 3,850; Solar Bay: 73,460; Solar Bay Unlimited: 82,701; Solar Bay Extreme: 15,542; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 16,481
BlackMagicDisk Read: 6,140MB/s; Write: 5,153MB/s
Civilization VII (Max resolution, AMD FSR 3, High): 130fps; (1080p, High): 202fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Max resolution, Highest, Balanced upscaling): 205fps; (1080p, Highest, SMAA x4): 183fps
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p, Ultra) 91fps; (Max Resolution, Ultra): 65fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Max resolution, Ultra, Balanced upscaling) 101fps; (1080p, Ray Tracing: Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 64fps; (1080p, Ultra, no upscaling): 125fps
Marvel Rivals (Max resolution, Balanced upscaling, Ultra): 67-83fps; (1200p, no upscaling, Low): 112-144fps
As expected given its Intel Core Ultra 9 and RTX 5070 Ti, the Major 16 X1 excels at gaming. When playing Cyberpunk 2077, I was getting between 55-60fps at the Ray Tracing: Medium preset with DLSS upscaling set to Auto. Changing this latter setting to Balanced only resulted in marginal performance gains, while enabling Frame Generation saw frame rates rocket to an average of 110fps.
The display in the Major 16 X1 is also excellent. The ultra-sharp 2560 x 1600 resolution makes for a crisp image, while colours are vibrant, if not quite as vibrant as those of the best gaming monitors. Reflections are apparent on occasion, but for the most part, the Major 16 X1 does well to mitigate this with its brightness levels.
While fan noise is expectedly noticeable, it’s impressively hushed compared to that emitted by many others in this class. The cooling ability of the Major 16 X1 is also admirable: it only became lukewarm during my sessions, with most external areas staying completely cool.
Oddly, the hottest part was the small section between the touchpad and space bar, which I found slightly distracting when my thumb naturally came to rest on this spot. However, it wasn’t hot enough to ruin my experience.
The keys are snappy and satisfying to use, although they lack the dampening of the best gaming keyboard switches. The layout is comfortable, despite the inclusion of a number pad on the right, which helps to make the Major 16 X1 good for typing.
What surprised me even more was the touchpad. It’s incredibly smooth, which makes swipes and gestures easy to perform; as a result, they execute precisely. It’s also small enough to prevent accidental inputs when using the keyboard. However, this also means that navigation is somewhat restricted compared to those with larger surface areas — but since many will likely be using the best gaming mouse models with a laptop, this drawback might not matter.
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 review: Battery Life
- Short even for a gaming laptop
- Quick to charge, though
The battery life of the Major 16 X1 is quite short, even by gaming laptop standards. It lasted less than five hours when I played a movie on a continuous loop, a time that a lot of its rivals can beat.
It also performed poorly when I ran PCMark’s battery benchmark for gaming scenarios, lasting about an hour. Thankfully, the Major 16 X1 is quick to charge: it took roughly 90 minutes to fully replenish.
Should I buy the Medion Erazer Major 16 X1?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|
Value |
The outright price of the Major 16 X1 is steep, but it undercuts many rivals, even those with weaker specs. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
The minimal appearance and surprisingly bulk-free build work in its favor, although it’s still quite heavy. It also lacks the premium appeal of its more redoubtable rivals. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
The Major 16 X1 tears through AAA titles with the best of them, and that sharp resolution only adds to their visual splendor. However, the keyboard, while perfectly fine, isn’t among the best. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Battery Life |
Perhaps the weakest aspect of the Major 16 X1. It’s at the lower end of the longevity spectrum, even in the gaming laptop class. |
2.5 / 5 |
|
Total |
The Major 16 X1 is an enticing proposition, considering what it offers for the price. It has its flaws, but thankfully they don’t affect outright gaming performance, making the Major 16 X1 ideal for those who prioritise power above all else. |
4 / 5 |
Buy the Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 if…
Don’t buy it if…
Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 review: Also Consider
How I tested the Medion Erazer Major 16 X1
- Tested for several days
- Used for gaming and benchmarking
- Extensive gaming experience
I tested the Medion Erazer Major 16 X1 for several days, during which time I used it for gaming and other tasks, such as light entertainment and productivity.
I played AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, and ran our series of benchmark tests to assess every facet of the laptop.
I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade and have used many different devices and components in that time. I’ve also reviewed a good deal of gaming laptops, across a wide range of specs, brands, and price points.
Read the full article here
