== versus .equals()

String s1 = "Java";
String s2 = new String("Java");

• s1 == s2 is false because == compares object references, and new String(...) creates a distinct object.
• s1.equals(s2) is true because String.equals() compares character contents.

For strings, use .equals() when comparing text. == is appropriate when reference identity is what you intend to test.