Surface

AZIO claims that the ATOM has a proprietary coating, and honestly, I have never really seen or felt anything like this before on a mouse. It's a rough-feeling plastic coating that looks like it has some small grains in it. It feels good with dry hands and doesn't get as slippery as I expected when the surface gets wet from sweat, though it still loses some of its grippiness.


The side grips feature the same material as the top area, but it's hatched here and feels a bit different, smoother. Many people like rubberized side grips, but unfortunately, almost all of them wear out and start flaking, or just simply melt eventually. With a hard coating like the one featured on the ATOM, this won't be an issue. Of course, the best solution would be to use PBT plastic that doesn't get shiny once the top coating wears off, but it is more expensive and also heavier due to its density. All in all, I like how the ATOM's surface feels, and I cannot really compare it to anything currently out there in the market.

Build Quality

As for the build quality, the ATOM could use some improvements here and there. The shell emits creaking sounds if you press it in a few different areas. There is a small chance of the two main buttons rubbing against each other, and the scroll wheel rattles pretty hard when you shake the mouse. More on the latter (and its possible fix) in the Buttons section.

Weight

The ATOM weighs around 93 grams on my scale with a few centimeters of cable. The LED stripes, extra settings buttons on the underside, and thick shell all add up, making the mouse quite heavy for its size. However, it's fortunately not too heavy in my opinion, and I'm quite used to lightweight mice. The mouse is also well balanced; there's no dragging in the front or back either.