Yes, swapping out the Kwin for a tiling WM will lose you some KDE functionality (for example, if your new WM provides a desktop, I wouldn't expect it to use the

Yes, swapping out the Kwin for a tiling WM will lose you some KDE functionality (for example, if your new WM provides a desktop, I wouldn't expect it to use the same context menus as Dolphin), and lead to a less integrated experience (you won't be able to configure i3 from KDE settings). I'd say if you just want a smooth experience, stick to KDE as a package.