# Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 (Hunter Douglas) and Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor (Somfy) among smart blinds. Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor is the cheaper of the two at $252.79.

## Side by side

| Spec | Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 | Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $772 | $252.79 |
| Brand | Hunter Douglas | Somfy |
| Max width (in) | — | — |
| Power source | Rechargeable magnetic Li-ion battery wand (swappable/rechargeable via dual-wand charger) or optional hardwire | Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery; optional WireFree Li-ion Solar Panel Kit accessory |
| Battery life months | 12 | — |
| Control protocol | Proprietary RF to PowerView Gateway/Gateway Pro (Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet); Matter support added via Gateway firmware 3.2.46+ (rolled out July 2025) | Somfy RTS radio (433.42MHz, ~656ft open-field range); TaHoma hub required for app/voice control |
| Voice assistant support | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant natively; Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant via Matter (PowerView Gateway/Gateway Pro required, firmware 3.2.46+) | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant (via Somfy TaHoma hub) |
| Motor noise (dB) | — | 42 |
| Light control type | light-filtering or room-darkening honeycomb fabric; top-down/bottom-up configuration available (27in minimum width for TDBU) | N/A (bare motor component; light control depends on the shade fabric it is built into) |
| Solar charging | No | Yes |
| Scheduling support | Yes | Yes |
| Hub required | Yes | Yes |
| Installation type | standalone motorized shade (custom-made, professional/dealer installed) | motor component (installed inside a made-to-measure shade by a dealer/workroom, not sold as a finished consumer shade) |

## Key differences

- Power source: Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 Rechargeable magnetic Li-ion battery wand (swappable/rechargeable via dual-wand charger) or optional hardwire vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery; optional WireFree Li-ion Solar Panel Kit accessory
- Control protocol: Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 Proprietary RF to PowerView Gateway/Gateway Pro (Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet); Matter support added via Gateway firmware 3.2.46+ (rolled out July 2025) vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor Somfy RTS radio (433.42MHz, ~656ft open-field range); TaHoma hub required for app/voice control
- Voice assistant support: Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant natively; Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant via Matter (PowerView Gateway/Gateway Pro required, firmware 3.2.46+) vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant (via Somfy TaHoma hub)
- Light control type: Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 light-filtering or room-darkening honeycomb fabric; top-down/bottom-up configuration available (27in minimum width for TDBU) vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor N/A (bare motor component; light control depends on the shade fabric it is built into)
- Solar charging: Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 No vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor Yes
- Installation type: Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 standalone motorized shade (custom-made, professional/dealer installed) vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor motor component (installed inside a made-to-measure shade by a dealer/workroom, not sold as a finished consumer shade)

## Sources

- Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3: https://www.techhive.com/article/2093574/hunter-douglas-duette-shade-with-powerview-gen-3-automation-review.html (techhive.com, verified 2026-08-01)
- Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor: https://www.somfysystems.com/en-us/products/1003310/sonesse-ultra-30-wirefree-rts-li-ion (somfysystems.com, verified 2026-08-01)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/smart-blinds/hunter-douglas-duette-powerview-gen3-vs-somfy-sonesse-ultra-30-wirefree/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shade with PowerView Gen 3 ($772) vs Somfy Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) Motor ($252.79) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/smart-blinds/hunter-douglas-duette-powerview-gen3-vs-somfy-sonesse-ultra-30-wirefree/
License: CC BY 4.0.