I used to use my android phone to track my hikes, but never used it to navigate. On most of my hikes, I carried a battery pack or solar charger to ensure that the charge lasted long enough - I used it in airplane mode, then turned on the GPS.
When I had to switch to an iPhone (works pays for my phone), I was upset because this was no longer possible. When put in airplane mode, there is no way to turn on GPS while in airplane mode because iphones use A-GPS. I ended up buying a GPS until (Garmin Dakota 20) and wish I had bought it sooner. It took a while to figure it out, but it's great.
My friend has a Note (not sure what model), and we use it as a backup device in event my GPS unit fails. I believe he uses EveryTrail. We also carry a paper map.
One thing I did notice about my android is that it lost it's GPS connection much more frequently than my Garmin. You won't need a GPS to find the trail on Whitney, but on other hikes, I would not rely on a phone for navigation.
On a side note, watch out for the JMT junction on the backside of Trail Crest when you descend from the summit. Assuming you're headed back to Whitney Portal, you
stay to the left and head up, not down and to the right! 
