A power cube is a leveled item which adds XM to your reserves when used.
Usage
The easiest way to use a power cube is to tap the quick cube button located under your XM meter. Swipe left and right in the carousel to find the power cube you want, then tap “Use.” Power cubes are also accessible from your inventory or the attack drawer. Using a power cube destroys it and gives you 1,000 XM for each power cube level. In other words, a L5 power cube grants 5,000 XM when used.
Be mindful of the maximum capacity of your XM reserves. Any XM gained in excess of what your reserves can store is wasted, so don’t use a power cube until you have enough room in your reserves for the entire amount.
As of 19 February 2016, recycling a power cube yields the same amount of XM as using it. While you can only use one power cube at a time, you can recycle multiple power cubes at once. As a result of this, lower level agents can now use higher level power cubes by recycling them.
Statistics
| Level | XM Capacity |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 XM |
| 2 | 2,000 XM |
| 3 | 3,000 XM |
| 4 | 4,000 XM |
| 5 | 5,000 XM |
| 6 | 6,000 XM |
| 7 | 7,000 XM |
| 8 | 8,000 XM |
Hypercube
A hypercube is a hackable, unleveled, very rare power cube variant which provides a backup XM store that replenishes your reserves automatically. To activate one, select it from your inventory and tap “Use.” If you already have one active, the button will be disabled.
Once the hypercube becomes active, it is removed from your inventory, and a meter representing the amount of XM in the hypercube is displayed next to your regular XM meter. As your XM reserves are used, they are immediately replenished from the active hypercube. (Thus, it does not increase the amount of XM you can use at once, and therefore can’t enable you to flip portals two levels above your agent level.) The amount of XM provided by the hypercube varies according to your agent level (see table below). Unlike your main XM reserves, the hypercube cannot be refilled. When the amount of XM left in the hypercube dips below 10%, you will receive an audible warning. When the hypercube is exhausted, it is removed from the scanner display.
Unlike regular power cubes, a hypercube cannot be recycled directly. However, you can put it into a capsule and recycle the capsule, although it is only worth 160 XM that way.
The capacity levels, and bonus compared to normal capacity is as follows:
| Level | Hypercube Capacity | vs Player Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18,000 XM | +6.00× |
| 2 | 20,250 XM | +5.06× |
| 3 | 22,500 XM | +4.50× |
| 4 | 24,750 XM | +4.13× |
| 5 | 27,000 XM | +3.86× |
| 6 | 29,250 XM | +3.66× |
| 7 | 31,500 XM | +3.50× |
| 8 | 33,750 XM | +3.38× |
| 9 | 36,000 XM | +3.13× |
| 10 | 38,400 XM | +2.95× |
| 11 | 40,800 XM | +2.81× |
| 12 | 43,200 XM | +2.70× |
| 13 | 45,600 XM | +2.61× |
| 14 | 48,000 XM | +2.53× |
| 15 | 50,400 XM | +2.46× |
| 16 | 52,800 XM | +2.40× |
History
The power cube was invented by Oliver Lynton-Wolfe during his time at the NIA. On 30 November 2012, the entire Niantic team was exposed to a mega-dose of XM during a power cube test, in an event that has come to be known as Epiphany Night.
The hypercube was originally called the Lawson power cube (as part of a promotion with the Lawson brand). It was announced on Ingress’s official social media accounts on 21 February 2016. Further information was released on 26 February 2016, and the cube itself was released on 27 February 2016. The Circle K power cube was announced on 15 May 2017. Later on a new variant called the Circle K power cube was released. On 12 December 2019, Niantic announced that both the Lawson and Circle K power cubes would be turned into unbranded hypercubes on 16 December.