AndroidAuthority is one of the most influential websites in the Android community. And the website recently chose its top Android smartphone of the year for 2012. In results that should surprise nobody, the Samsung Galaxy S3 came out on top.

The specific name of the AndroidAuthority award is “the most important Android smartphone of the year.” That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best, but it does mean a smartphone has achieved a unique blend of popularity, performance, style, and function.

Here are a few of the reasons why the Samsung Galaxy S3 was chosen as the most important smartphone of the year:

-Best-selling Android smartphone ever made, having just sold its 30 millionth unit in November of 2012

-The first Android smartphone to beat an Apple smartphone (the iPhone 4S) in global sales figures

-One of the first smartphones to capitalize on 4G LTE coverage in North America and Japan, while other markets received a 3G version that was equally as powerful on those networks

-Available on all four major carriers in the US, a rarity for smartphones these days

-Samsung Galaxy S3 advertisements viewed by millions on YouTube and on TV, another rarity for Android smartphones which are typically surrounded by minimal advertising hype beyond the tech community

-Quad core CPU

-Removable battery and microSD capabilities

Runner Ups for Android smartphone of the year

AndroidAuthority also chose a series of smartphones that weren’t quite as popular as the Samsung Galaxy S3 but are still top-tier in terms of user experience and performance capabilities. Those runner ups include:

-HTC One X

-Samsung Galaxy Note 2

-LG Google Nexus 4