Is it possible to initialize a reference type without using the new operator?

In Java, reference types are usually initialized using the new operator, which allocates memory for the object. However, there are exceptions:

• String literals can be used without new:

String s = "Hello"; // without new

• Arrays must be initialized using new or an array initializer:

int[] arr = {1, 2, 3}; // initialized without new, but an array is created under the hood

• Wrapper classes for primitive types (e.g., Integer) can be used with autoboxing:

Integer i = 10; // without explicit new

Thus, strings can be initialized directly with literals, and autoboxing can be used for wrappers, but for most objects, new is necessary.