Many of Laravel's components can also be stripped out and used as microframeworks. Their database ORM is particularly nice, and I use it alongside Slim on a few projects.
From my experience using it, Laravel also feels a lot "lighter" than the other big frameworks of the past. It's a bit less opinionated, and it's much easier to get set up and running.
From my experience using it, Laravel also feels a lot "lighter" than the other big frameworks of the past. It's a bit less opinionated, and it's much easier to get set up and running.