Surface and Materials

The entire top cover except for the ROG logo is coated in a semi-matte coating that is used on ASUS Gladius models and some Cougar mice I've reviewed before. It looks like it has some glittery bits in it, which can sparkle subtly in the light. I like this coating a lot because it's quite grippy both with dry and slightly wet hands. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to collect fingerprints at all. The separator panel in the middle is plain matte plastic, as is the CPI button inside it. The scroll wheel's rubber top features the same Mayan-pattern texturing as on most of the newer ROG mice.


Both side panels are entirely coated with a highly textured, thick rubberization, so the mouse feels pretty consistent to the touch, and these panels are really grippy, too. I never had issues with slipping, which is a huge plus given we're still talking about a tiny mouse. As for the side buttons, they are plain matte, just like the CPI button.

Build Quality

Build quality is mostly good, but not perfect. There's some creaking from both side panels and the top cover. The latter I can understand given its a removable part, but quality control could be more thorough when it comes to the sides. All in all, this doesn't really affect usability, and the sides only creak when pressed on with a very firm grip. The top, on the other hand, happens to creak during normal use as well, which can definitely be annoying for some.

Weight

Weight is the thing I most dislike about this product. Not its stock mass of 73 grams, but with the two AA batteries included. 120 grams for a mouse that's barely over 10 cm long is ridiculous, and it feels like moving a tiny black hole around the mouse pad. I might be exaggerating a bit, but it really is that brutal. You can help this by using lithium AAA batteries, and small adapters for them. This small modification can get the weight down to 95 grams (or even less), which is still hefty for the size, but definitely feels a million times better and more usable.